nia 


fru*-  tefefJU*  • 

.  ^/f 


LIFE 


FELIX  MENDELSSOHN  BARTHOLDY. 


tlje   (ierntau  of  Wi. 


WITH    SUPPLEMENTARY    SKETCHES 

BY 

JULIUS   BENEDICT,   HENRY  F.  CHORLEY,    LUDWIG  RELLSTAB, 
BAYARD    TAYLOR,    R.    8.    WILLIS,    AXD   J.    8.    DWIGHT. 


EDITED   AND    TRANSLATED 

BY  WILLIAM    LEONHARD    GAGE. 


NEW  YORK  &  PHILADELPHIA  : 

FREDERICK     LEYPOLDT. 

BOSTON:  s.  B.  DRBINO;  NICHOLS  &  NOYES. 
1865. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1865,  by 
FREDERICK    LEYPOLDT, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for 
Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania. 


ALVORD,      PBINTBB. 


JOHN     S.     D  W  I  G  H  T, 

(THOSE    ENTHUSIASTIC    ADMIRATION    FIRST    MADE    THE    LETTERS    Of 

MENDELSSOHN    ACCESSIBLE    TO    AMERICAN    READERS,    AMD 

WHOSE    TASTES   ARE    SO    FULLY    IN    HARMONY  WITH 

THE     PURITY     OP     MENDELSSOHN'S 

GENIUS    AND    LIFE, 

&f)is  translation  is  Betoicateto, 

A8   A   BLIGHT   EXPRESSION   OF  THANKS   FOR   JUDICIOUS    COUNSEL 
AND    TIMELY    ENCOURAGEMENT. 


2033753 


EDITOR'S    PREFACE. 


THE  time  predicted  by  one  who  wrote  the  sen- 
tence years  ago  seems  to  have  come,  "when 
every  line  and  every  word  from  Mendelssohn's 
pen  would  be  treasured  by  the  world."  Most 
great  composers  make  their  appeal  for  recognition 
to  a  comparatively  small  circle  of  admirers,  and 
are  rarely  quoted  beyond  the  domain  of  their  art. 
It  is  so  with  Mendelssohn  neither  in  Germany, 
in  England,  nor  in  America.  Chorley  little  knew 
what  a  weighty  sentence  he  was  inditing,  when  he 
penned  the  words,  "  There  may  come  a  day  yet, 
when  the  example  of  Mendelssohn's  life,  yet  more 
than  of  his  works,  may  be  invoked  in  Germany." 
In  England  there  was  always  a  passionate  adora- 
tion of  him  as  a  man ;  the  fascinating  presence, 
the  stories  of  his  remarkable  culture,  his  unselfish- 
ness, his  moral  purity,  his  entirely  religious  and 
Christian  character,  awakening  an  interest  in 
every  thing  pertaining  to  him,  which  found  hardly 
an  exaggerated  expression  in  the  pages  of 


ii  EDITOR'S  PREFACE. 

"  Charles  Auchester,"  and  which  has  not  ceased 
yet.  And  within  a  few  years  the  people  of  cul- 
ture in  America  have  begun  to  take  as  deep  an 
interest  in  Mendelssohn  as  those  of  Germany  and 
England :  hardly  any  books  have  found  more 
enthusiastic  readers  among  us  than  Mendelssohn's 
Letters.  That  wonderful  romance,  the  most 
wholesome  gift  by  far  of  Miss  Sheppard  to  the 
world,  "  Charles  Auchester,"  has  found  thou- 
sands of  admirers,  who  have  been  charmed  by  its 
pages.  It  was  the  fashion  years  ago  to  fling  at 
that  book  as  rhapsodical ;  but  this  biography  will 
convince  the  reader,  if  the  Letters  of  Mendelssohn 
have  not  already  done  so,  that  that  work,  with  all 
its  splendid  coloring,  and  all  its  seeming  exagge- 
rations, scarcely  overrated  the  glory,  the  beauty, 
the  capacity,  and  the  compass  of  Mendelssohn's 
life.  A  completer  transcript  of  the  spirit  of 
Mendelssohn  could  hardly  have  been  made.  His 
wonderful  reach  of  memory  was  certainly  not 
over-estimated  in  the  scene  where  he  directs  the 
"  Messiah "  from  his  memory  of  the  score  :  that 
would  have  been  a  light  task  for  Mendelssohn. 
The  death  of  his  sister  Fanny,  narrated  in  this 
biography,  is  closely  adhered  to  in  the  romance  : 
the  characters  of  Zelter,  Joachim  the  violinist, 
Jenny  Lind,  and  Sterndale  Bennett,  are  finely 
painted  in  Aronach,  Charles  Auchester,  Julia 
Bennett,  and  Starwood  Burney.  But  it  were 


EDITOR'S  PREFACE.  iii 

needless  to  speak  more  at  length  :  enough  to  say, 
that,  the  more  we  know  of  Mendelssohn,  the  more 
clearly  we  see  how  closely  Miss  Sheppard  adhered 
to  the  facts  and  coloring  of  his  life  in  her  fascinat- 
ing portrait.  It  is  no  descent  from  the  Seraphael 
of  "  Charles  Auchester "  to  the  writer  of  Men- 
delssohn's Letters.  The  plane  is  the  same,  though 
the  true  Mendelssohn  is  a  shade  more  joyous  and 
less  pensive  than  the  counterfeit.  But  we  trace 
the  same  exquisite  purity  in  both ;  the  same  un- 
sordid  spirit ;  the  same  unwillingness  to  write, 
except  under  the  stress  of  a  great  inspiration ;  the 
same  freedom  from  envy ;  the  same  recoil  from  all 
immorality ;  the  same  abhorrence  of  French  and 
Italian  sensuality ;  the  same  devotion  to  what  is 
good,  noble,  and,  in  the  strictest  use  of  speech, 
Christ-like. 

Not  long  after  the  death  of  Mendelssohn,  Lam- 
padius,  a  friend  of  his,  a  musical  amateur,  and 
evidently  a  man  of  nice  tastes  and  of  high-toned 
character,  wrote  a  biography  of  the  great  com- 
poser, which  has  been  made  the  basis  of  all  the 
smaller  sketches  of  his  life,  but  which  now  appears 
in  a  literal  translation  from  the  German  for  the 
first  time.  It  may  be  said  of  it,  that  it  is  not  the 
best  biography  of  Mendelssohn  that  could  be 
written,  but  it  is  the  best  and  indeed  the  only  one 
that  has  been  written,  or  is  likely  to  be  for  some 
time.  Doubtless,  the  time  will  come  when  this 


iv  EDITOR'S  PREFACE. 

brief  work  will  be  superseded  by  one  more  ex- 
haustive :  till  then,  it  remains  without  a  rival.  It 
has,  too,  some  qualities  of  striking  and  sterling 
character ;  it  was  written  with  all  the  loving  ardor 
which  followed  Mendelssohn's  sudden  death ;  it  is 
a  bouquet  of  fresh  flowers  laid  on  his  grave.  It 
portrays  his  career  as  Director  at  Leipzig,  cer- 
tainly the  best  part  of  his  life,  with  minuteness 
and  fidelity ;  and  in  its  whole  delineation,  while  it 
shows  unmistakable  marks  of  the  warmth  of 
friendship,  it  yet  displays  colors  vivid,  glowing, 
and  delightful.  I  have  preserved  all  his  details ; 
and  the  record  will  hardly  be  judged  by  musical 
readers  to  be  too  full :  for  it  is  a  great  advantage 
to  know  what  were  just  the  programmes  selected 
by  so  consummate  a  judge  as  Mendelssohn  for 
performance  at  those  Leipzig  Concerts  which 
made  that  city,  while  he  lived,  the  musical  capital 
of  Europe. 

Acting  as  editor  as  well  as  translator,  I  have 
sought  to  bring  together  all  available  materials  in 
English,  French,  and  German,  which  could  illus- 
trate Mendelssohn's  character  and  career,  and  thus 
render  the  work  of  Lampadius  even  more  complete 
than  its  author  left  it.  Very  much,  however,  of 
what  has  been  written, — Neumann's  sketch  in 
"Die  neuen  Componisten,"  and  "Julie  de  Marguer- 
ette's,"  for  instance,  — are  only  Lampadius  repro- 
duced in  briefer  compass.  Still,  this  search  has 


EDITORS  PREFACE.  V 

not  been  inadequately  rewarded  ;  and  in  the  mod- 
est and  admirable  account,  by  Julius  Benedict,  of 
Mendelssohn  in  England ;  in  the  free,  sparkling, 
and  valuable  chapters  from  Chorley's  "Modern 
Music  ;  "  in  Rellstab's,  Bayard  Taylor's,  and  Rich- 
ard Storrs  Willis's  glimpses  of  Mendelssohn ;  in 
the  descriptive  analysis  of  his  oratorio  "Elijah" 
by  Mr.  Dwight,  — the  reader  will  find  much  that 
will  throw  light  on  the  subject  of  this  biography 
as  a  man  and  an  artist. 

Preparing  this  work  as  a  recreation  amid 
severer  studies,  I  part  with  it  not  as  freed  from 
a  heavy  burden,  but  as  turning  back  from  a  holi- 
day's pastime  to  labor.  Brief  and  fragmentary 
as  it  is  as  a  biography,  it  cannot  fail  to  do  good 
if  it  shall  bring  any  of  our  American  people  to 
know  and  love  the  pure  spirit  of  Mendelssohn. 

WILLIAM  LEONHARD  GAGE. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE 

Mendelssohn's  Parentage  and  Birth.  —  Precocious  Talents. — 
Studies  with  Zelter.  —  Zelter's  Letters  to  Goethe  regarding 
Mendelssohn.  —  He  is  taken  to  Paris  by  his  Father  to  see 
Cherubini.  —  Compliments  from  Goethe.: — Mendelssohn  visits 
England. —  He  visits  Goethe.  —  Goethe's  Influence  on  the 
Musician's  whole  Career.  —  He  becomes  Moscheles'  Pupil.  — 
"Midsummer  Night's  Dream"  Overture.  —  He  studies  at 
Berlin  University.  —  Preparations  to  travel 13 


H. 

Mendelssohn  visits  England.  —  Concerts  in  London  with  Sontag. 
—  First  Public  Performance  ever  given  of  the  "  Midsummer 
Night's  Dream"  Overture.  —  He  visits  Scotland  and  the  He- 
brides.—  He  returns  to  Germany,  visits  Munich,  and  then 
sets  his  Steps  towards  Italy.  —  His  Sojourn  in  Italy,  and  its 
Fruits.  —  He  visits  Paris ;  thence  goes  to  London ;  afterwards, 
Home  to  Berlin 


LTI. 

Mendelssohn  applies  for  the  Directorship  of  the  Sing-Acad- 
emie  in  Berlin.  —  Is  disappointed.  —  Assumes  Charge  of  the 
Dusseldorf  Musical  Festival.  — A  new  Epoch  in  his  Life. 
—  Success  in  Dusseldorf.  —  Flying  Trip  to  London,  and 

[vii] 


ii  CONTENTS. 

f 

Concerts  there.  —  The  Diisseldorf  Festival. —  He  is  chosen 
Municipal  Music  Director.  —  Friendship  with  Immennann. 
—  Their  united  labors.  —  Estrangement.  —  Cologne  Musical 
Festival.  —  Efforts  to  secure  Mendelssohn  at  Leipzig.  ... 


IV. 

Mendelssohn  becomes  the  Director  of  the  Gewandhaus  Concerts 
at  Leipzig.  —  His  Strict  Training  of  the  Orchestra.  —  His 
Efforts  to  educate  a  Refined  Taste  for  Classical  Music. — 
His  First  Appearance  with  the  Baton.  —  The  Concerts  under 
his  Direction.  —  Ferdinand  David  comes  to  Leipzig  ....  42 

V. 

Mendelssohn  finishes  his  "  St.  Paul."  —Its  First  Performance.  — 
Changes  in  the  Work.  —  He  directs  a  Festival  at  Frankfort. 
—  Enjoyment  in  that  City.— Meets  his  Future  Wife.  — Trib- 
ute to  her  Memory.  —  Sea-bathing.  —  Returns  to  his  place  at 
Leipzig.  —  Concerts  there.  —  Mendelssohn  as  a  Director.  — 
Pleasant  Surprise  at  one  of  the  Concerts.  —  William  Stern- 
dale  Bennett  visits  Leipzig.  —  "St.  Paul"  sung  there. — 
Brilliant  Effect  of  the  Work.— Analysis  of  "St.  Paul."  .  47 

VI. 

Mendelssohn's  Marriage.  —  New  Works.  —  He  directs  the  "  St. 
Paul "  at  Birmingham,  England.  —  Leipzig  Concerts.  —  Clara 
Novello.  —  A  Brilliant  Winter.  —  Composition  of  the  Forty- 
second  Psalm.  —  Analysis  of  the  Music.  —  New  Music.  —  The 
Historical  Concerts  instituted  by  him.  —  He  directs  the  Co- 
logne Festival.  —  Repetition  of  "  St  Paul "  at  Leipzig.  .  .  61 

vn. 

The  Leipzig  Concerts.  —  Mrs.  Alfred  Shaw.  —  A  memorable 
Musical  Winter.  —  Mendelssohn  conducts  the  Spring  Fes- 
tival at  Diisseldorf.  —  The  Next  Winter's  Concerts.  —  The 
Hundred  and  Fourteenth  Psalm  :  its  Musical  Effects.  — 
New  Instrumental  Music 71 


CONTENTS.  be 

vm. 

PAGS 

The  "  Hymn  of  Praise."  —  Its  Occasion,  History,  First  Perform- 
ance, Musical  Character,  and  Remarkable  Success 79 


IX. 

Efforts  to  erect  a  Monument  to  Bach.  —  Concerts  given  by 
Mendelssohn  to  raise  Money  for  this  Object.  —  "Hymn  of 
Praise"  in  England.  —  Mendelssohn's  Visit  to  Queen  Vic- 
toria. —  He  returns  to  Leipzig.  —  He  is  specially  honored  by 
the  King  of  Saxony.  —  New  Musical  Activity.  —  The  Leip- 
zig Concerts.  —  He  plays  with  Clara  Schumann.  —  Directs 
Bach's  "  Passion  Music."  —  Careful  Training  of  his  Singers. 


Mendelssohn  is  made  Doctor  of  Philosophy.  —  The  King  of 
Saxony  offers  him  his  Kapellmeistership.  —  The  King 
of  Prussia,  Frederick  William  IV.,  does  the  same.  —  The 
Post  accepted.  —  Composition  of  the  Music  for  the  "  Anti- 
gone" of  Sophocles.  —  Representation  of  the  Tragedy  in 
the  Royal  Palace.  —  Episode  at  Leipzig.  —  Appearance 
of  the  Great  Symphony  in  A  Minor.  —  The  "Antigone" 
at  Leipzig. — Visit  to  Dusseldorf. — New  Honors  from  the 
King  of  Prussia.  —  Journey  to  Lausanne.  —  His  Stay  at 
Frankfort  —  Architectural  Improvements  at  Leipzig.  — 
Varied  Activity.  —  Founding  of  the  Leipzig  Conservato- 
rium  of  Music.  — Loss  of  his  Mother 101 


XL 

Opening  of  the  Leipzig  Conservatorium.  —  Productive  Activity. 
—  "  First  Walpurgis  Night."  —  Leipzig  Concerts.  —  Active 
Interest  in  the  Conservatorium.  —  "  Midsummer  Night's 
Dream"  at  Leipzig 120 


x  CONTENTS. 

XLL 

PAGE 

Life  at  Berlin.  —  Unacceptable  Changes.  —  Mendelssohn's  Ex- 
traordinary Activity.  —  Participates  in  London  Concerts. 

—  Directs  the  Palatinate  Musical  Festival.  — The  King  of 
Prussia  releases  him  from  his  Engagement.  — "  (Edipus  in 
Colonos." — Robert  Schumann's  "B-flat    Symphony."  — 
Jenny  Lind  in  Leipzig.  .    .     • ."    .    .     133 

xm. 

The  "Elijah."  — Conducts  the  Music  Festivals  at  Aix-la- 
Chapelle,  Liege,  and  Cologne.  —  Goes  to  England  to 
direct  the  First  Performance  of  "Elijah"  at  Birmingham. 
Brilliant  Success  of  the  Oratorio.  —  Instance  of  Mendels- 
sohn's Facilitj- in  Composition.  —  Declining  Health. —  His 
Sister  Fanny's  Death.  —  Its  Effect  upon  him.  —  He  seeks 
Alleviation  in  Renewed  Activity.  —  Retires  to  Switzerland. 

—  Begins  the  Oratorio  of  "  Christ,"  and  the  Opera  "  Lo- 
reley."  —  Sickness  and  Sudden  Death 143 

XIV. 

General  Grief  over  his  Loss.  —  Imposing  Obsequies.  —  His  Re- 
mains are  carried  to  Berlin.  —  Honors  all  along  the  Way. 

—  The    Berlin    Solemnities.  —  Honors  paid   to  his   Mem- 
ory in  Foreign  Lands  as  well  as  throughout  Germany.  — 
Depth  of  Sorrow  at  Leipzig,  and  its  Manifestation.     .    .    154 

XV. 

Sketch  of  Mendelssohn's  Personal  Appearance.  —  His  Christian 
Character.  —  His  Kindness,  Geniality,  and  Courtesy. — His 
Restless  Activity.  — His  Cordiality  to  other  Great  Artists. 

—  Liszt's  Visit  to  Leipzig,  and  his  Reception  by  Mendels- 
sohn. —  Hector  Berlioz  at  Leipzig.  —  Spohr's  Visit.    .     .    .     162 

XVI. 

Wonderful  Union  of  the  Highest  Gifts  in  Mendelssohn.  —  His 
Power  as  a  Conductor.  —  Incidents.  —  His  Skill  as  a  Vir- 
tuoso. —  His  Greatness  as  a  Composer.  —  Conclusion.  .  .  172 


CONTENTS.  xi 
APPENDIX. 

PAGB 

JULIUS   BENEDICT'S   SKETCH   OF   THE   CAREER   OP   MEN- 
DELSSOHN.   183 

FIVE  SKETCHES  BY  HENRY  F.   CHORLEY:  — 

I.    Mendelssohn  as  the  Director  of  a  North  German  Mu- 
sical Festival 196 

II.    Mendelssohn's  Sister  and  Mother 210 

III.  Mendelssohn's  Invitation  to  Berlin 213 

IV.  Mendelssohn  as  a  Composer 215 

V.    The  Last  Days  of  Mendelssohn 225 

RELLSTAB'S  ACCOUNT  OF  MENDELSSOHN'S  VISIT,  WHILE  A 

BOY,  TO  GOETHK 238 

RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MENDELSSOHN,  BY  BAYARD  TAYLOR     .  245 

MENDELSSOHN'S  "ELIJAH,"  BY  JOHN  S.  DWIGHT    ....  254 


LIFE  OF  MENDELSSOHN. 


CHAPTER    I. 

Mendelssohn's  Parentage  and  Birth.  —  Precocious  Talents.  —  Studies  with 
Zelter.  —  Zelter's  Letters  to  Goethe  regarding  Mendelssohn.  — He  is  taken 
to  Paris  by  his  Father  to  see  Chenibini.  —  Compliments  from  Goethe. — 
Mendelssohn  visits  England.  —  He  visits  Goethe.  —  Goethe's  Influence  on 
the  Musician's  whole  Career.  —  He  becomes  Moscheles'  Pupil.  —  "  Midsum- 
mer Night's  Dream"  Overture.  —  He  studies  at  Berlin  University. — Pre- 
parations to  travel. 

TT~THEN  a  citizen  dies  whose  life  has  been  devoted 
*  "  to  the  common  weal,  his  city  mourns  his  loss  with 
a  general  grief;  when  a  ruler  who  has  been  devoted  to  all 
the  duties  of  his  office  goes  to  his  grave,  his  countrymen 
lament  over  his  death :  but,  when  a  king  in  the  domain 
of  genius  is  withdrawn  from  the  sphere  of  his  labors, 
thousands  upon  thousands  of  hearts  which  beat  with 
love  for  what  is  good  and  true  are  filled  with  sorrow, 
thousands  upon  thousands  of  eyes  are  filled  with  tears. 
Such  sorrow  is  that  which  laments  the  premature  death 
of  FELIX  MENDELSSOHN  BARTHOLDY,  who,  had  he 
lived,  would  now  (1864)  be  but  at  the  age  when  most 
men  are  in  the  very  prime  of  their  years.  For  in  him 
departed  the  last  classic  spirit  of  Germany's  great  epoch 


14  LIFE  OF  MENDELSSOHN. 

of  culture.  But  as  Providence  blessed  him  in  life,  giv- 
ing him  no  harder  battle  to  fight  than  that  which  came 
from  the  constantly  unsatisfied  aspirations  struggling 
within  his  own  breast ;  even  so,  in  his  death,  the  gain  is 
with  him,  and  not  with  us.  Not  because  he  took  his 
departure  after  having  attained  the  highest  summit  of 
his  fame,  (for  who  is  bold  enough  to  insist,  that,  if  he 
had  lived,  he  would  have  produced  something  greater 
than  he  ever  did  ?)  but  because  he,  though  a  classic,  is 
honored  at  a  time  when  Germany  has  ceased  to  honor 
its  greatest  spirits  as  it  ought  ;  when  a  Beethoven,  a 
Mozart,  a  Schiller,  have  to  wait,  and  as  yet  in  vain,  for 
one  to  rise,  and  show  the  world  the  wealth  of  their 
genius  and  the  course  of  their  lives. 

Felix  Mendelssohn  Bartholdy,  son  of  Abraham  Men- 
delssohn, a  well-known  banker,  and  himself  a  man  of 
very  refined  tastes,  and  grandson  of  Moses  Mendelssohn, 
the  eminent  philosopher,  first  saw  the  light  in  Ham- 
burg the  3d  of  February,  1809.  The  house  in  which  he 
was  born  was  the  large  one,  still  standing,  just  back  of 
St.  Michael's  Church ;  and  in  the  same  house,  by  a  hap- 
py coincidence,  his  warm  friend  and  fellow-artist,  Ferdi- 
nand David,  was  born  just  a  year  later.  He  was  the 
second  of  four  children,  —  Fanny,  the  oldest ;  then  Felix, 
Paul,  and  Rebecca.  His  mother,  born  a  Bartholdy,  was 
a  very  gifted  woman,  and  watched  over  the  progress  of 
ihe  boy  with  devoted  love,  which  was  requited  by  the 


LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN.  15 

utmost  affection.  The  father,  too,  was  always  regarded 
with  great  tenderness  by  Felix.  When  the  child  was 
three  or  four  years  old,  the  family  removed  to  Berlin. 
Under  the  favoring  star  which  held  him  back,  from  his 
birth;  from  all  contact  with  what  was  common  and  vul- 
gar, his  wonderful  talents  opened  and  ripened  early. 
Even  in  his  eighth  year,  he  played  the  piano  with 
remarkable  facility ;  and  at  the  same  early  age  he  dis- 
closed that  remarkable  power  of  criticism,  that  lynx-eye 
as  Zelter  termed  it,  which  enabled  him  to  detect  six 
consecutive  fifths  in  a  piece  of  Sebastian  Bach,  which 
escaped  the  keen  eye  of  Zelter  himself;  and  also  that 
almost  miraculous  fineness  of  ear,  which  in  the  most 
powerful  orchestra,  or  in  an  immense  chorus,  detected 
the  least  error  of  a  single  instrument  or  of  a  voice. 
He  showed,  too,  an  uncommon  productivity  for  his  years. 
Zelter,  the  veteran  in  musical  science,  and  Ludwig  Ber- 
ger,  the  master  in  musical  art,  were  his  first  teachers 
in  composition  and  in  piano-forte  playing.  Zelter  called 
Mendelssohn  his  best  scholar,  even  at  the  age  of  twelve ; 
and  his  letters  to  Goethe  are  evidences  of  his  warm 
interest  in  the  lad,  although  that  interest  was  often 
disguised  by  a  rough  address,  which  doubtless  did  some 
injury  to  the  gentle  spirit  of  young  Felix.  The  best 
fruit  of  this  correspondence  was  the  intimate  relation  in 
which  after  this  he  always  stood  to  Goethe.  This  near- 
ness, and  ease  of  approach,  to  a  nature  so  grand  and  rich 


16  LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN. 

as  Goethe's,  was  a  very  great  advantage  to  Mendelssohn, 
and  tended  to  encourage  all  that  was  large,  generous, 
and  noble  in  him,  and  to  repress  all  that  was  small,  con- 
tracted, and  sickly.  It  would  be  a  great  treat*  to  the 
reading-world  to  be  permitted  to  look  into  the  corre- 
spondence of  Goethe  and  Mendelssohn :  for  the  present, 
it  is  enough  to  glean  from  Zelter's  and  Goethe's  letters 
the  progress  of  this  always-increasing  intimacy.  Zel- 
ter  speaks  of  Felix  in  expressions  like  these :  "  He  plays 
the  clavichord  like  a  young  devil ; "  or,  "  Felix  is  always 
the  first."  And,  in  the  autumn  of  1821,  he  writes  to 
Goethe  regarding  a  visit  which  he  was  about  to  make 
him :  "  I  want  my  Doris  and  my  best  scholar  to  look 
upon  your  face  before  I  die."  In  November  of  that 
year,  he  brought  together  his  aged  friend  and  his  loved 
pupil.  Afterward  Goethe  wrote  to  Zelter,  in  his  cool, 
measured  way,  "  Say  a  good  word  to  Felix  too,  and 
his  parents.  Since  he  went  away,  my  piano  has  been 
dumb :  an  effort  to  waken  it  again  would,  I  am  afraid, 
be  useless  after  that."  But  this  casual  interest  was 
destined  to  be  yet  deepened.  Zelter  wrote  more  fully 
regarding  his  boy's  wonderful  talents  and  great  indus- 
try, and  Goethe's  friendship  grew  warmer  towards  him. 
On  the  8th  of  February,  1824,  Zelter  wrote,  "Yester- 
day evening,  Felix's  fourth  opera  was  brought  out  here 
in  a  little  circle  of  us,  with  the  dialogue.  There  are 

*  Happily  granted  now  (1864). 


LIFE  OF  MENDELSSOHN.  17 

three  acts,  which,  with  the  two  ballets,  occupied  about 
two  hours  and  a  half.  The  work  was  received  with 
much  applause.  I  can  hardly  master  my  own  wonder 
how  the  boy,  who  is  only  about  fifteen,  has  made  such 
progress.  Everywhere  you  find  what  is  new,  beautiful, 
and  peculiar,  —  wholly  peculiar.  'Tis  massive,  as  if 
from  an  experienced  hand;  the  orchestra  interesting, 
not  oppressive,  not  wearisome,  —  not  mere  accompani- 
ment The  performers  like  to  play  it ;  yet  it  is  not  very 
easy.  What  is  known  comes  and  goes,  not  as  if  taken 
for  granted,  but  as  if  welcome,  and  just  in  its  appropriate 
place,  —  life,  joy  without  impatient  haste,  tenderness, 
grace,  love,  passion,  innocence.  The  overture  is  a  won- 
derful thing.  You  seem  to  see  a  painter  rubbing  a 
dingy  color  with  brush  and  finger  on  the  canvas,  till  at 
last  a  finished  group  emerges.  You  are  amazed :  you 
look  to  see  how  it  came  about,  and  only  see  that  it  must 
be  so  because  it  is  true." 

In  this  rather  rough  and  disjointed  yet  expressive 
style,  Zelter  shows  the  gradual  emerging  of  some  central 
theme,  around  which  a  group  of  musical  fancies  arrange 
themselves ;  just  as  is  the  case,  for  example,  in  the 
overture,  "The  Hebrides." — "Certainly,"  Zelter  goes 
on  to  say,  "  I  speak  as  a  grandfather  who  pardons  his 
boy.  I  know  what  I  say,  and  I  have  said  nothing  that  I 
cannot  prove.  First  the  multitude  applauded ;  then  the 
orchestra-people  and  the  singers :  and  that  is  the  way 
2 


18  LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN. 

by  which  you  can  tell  whether  a  piece  is  received 
warmly  or  coldly;  whether  the  applause  is  real  and 
generous,  or  only  affected.  This  is  a  thing  for  you  to 
notice.  When  the  performer  enters  with  his  soul  into 
what  lies  before  him,  and  testifies  that  the  composer  has 
suited  him,  that  is  true  applause  ;  that  tells  the  whole." 
How  this  wise  word  of  Zelter's  was  confirmed  after- 
wards !  How  enthusiastically  the  singers  and  players 
of  Leipzig,  for  example,  attended  the  rehearsals  of 
"  St.  Paul "  and  the  "  Hymn  of  Praise"  at  a  later  day ! 
How  unwearied  the  orchestra  was  in  overcoming  all  the 
technical  difficulties  which  the' overture  and  the  music 
of  the  "  Midsummer  Night's  Dream  "  presented  !  No 
one  realized  how,  by  pleasantry  and  earnestness,  by 
appropriate  praise  and  rightly  directed  blame,  by  his 
quiet  glance  and  undemonstrative  yet  effective  manner, 
he  was  able  to  help  the  performers  over  all  the  hard 


The  following  year  (1825),  Mendelssohn's  father  took 
him  to  Paris  to  introduce  him  to  Cherubini,  and  to 
inquire  of  that  distinguished  musician,  with  a  modesty 
creditable  to  both  father  and  son,  whether  Felix  had 
such  a  decided  musical  talent  as  would  justify  his  de- 
voting himself  exclusively  to  that  department  of  art.* 
Cherubini's  answer  was,  of  course,  in  the  affirmative. 

*  Mendelssohn  supported  the  great  violinist  Baillot,  at  this  time, 
in  his  quartet  in  B  minor. 


LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN.  19 

On  their  return,  they  both  visited  Goethe.  The  latter 
wrote  to  Zelter,  under  date  May  21,  1825:  "Felix 
produced  his  new  quartet  to  the  amazement  of  every 
one.  This  personal  dedication  to  me,  through  the  ear, 
has  pleased  me  very  much."  In  June,  he  sent  to  the 
young  Mendelssohn  what  Zelter  called  "  a  pretty  love- 
letter."  Mendelssohn  reciprocated  the  compliment  by 
sending  to  Goethe  the  next  year  a  carefully  elaborated 
copy  of  Terence's  "  Andria."  In  a  letter  written  Oct. 
11,  1826,  Goethe  bade  Zelter  thank  Felix  for  "this 
very  skilful  specimen  of  earnest  aesthetic  studies :  his 
work  will  be  a  lasting  fund  of  entertainment  to  the 
Weimar  scholars  these  long  winter  evenings."  In  April,  < 
1829,  Mendelssohn  went  to  England  at  Moscheles'  invi- 
tation ;  and,  while  riding  out  in  a  gig  with  a  friend,  he 
was  unfortunately  thrown  out,  and  severely  injured  in 
the  knee.  After  Goethe  had  heard  of  this  from  Zelter, 
he  wrote  with  the  most  anxious  interest :  "  I  wish  also 
to  learn  whether  good  news  has  come  about  our  excel- 
lent Felix.  I  take  the  greatest  interest  in  him ;  for  it 
is  painful  in  the  extreme  to  see  one,  of  whom  so  much  is 
expected,  put  in  peril  by  such  an  occurrence.  Tell  me 
something  cheering  about  him." 

But  the  gifted  young  composer  received  his  real 
dedication  to  art,  during  a  fortnight's  visit  to  Goethe, 
just  before  his  journey  to  Italy.  "What  a  sweet  foretaste 
of  the  pleasures  he  was  about  to  enjoy,  what  a  delight- 


20  LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN. 

ful  promise  of  what  was  in  store,  did  the  young  Men- 
delssohn receive  from  him  who  sang  the  song  of  the 
"  Land  wo  die  Citronen  bliihn  "  !  How  much  satisfac- 
tion Goethe  derived  from  that  visit,  we  learn  from  his 
letter  to  Zelter,  under  date  of  June  3  :  "  Just  now,  this 
early  summer  morning,  under  a  beautiful  sky,  Felix 
has  taken  his  departure  with  Ottilie  (Madame  von 
Goethe),  Ulrike  (Fraulein  Poggwisch),  and  the  chil- 
dren (among  them  Walter  von  Goethe,  the  present 
composer),  after  spending  a  fortnight  with  us,  delighting 
us  with  his  art,  and  leaving  with  us  the  memory  of 
delightful  hours.  His  visit  will  indeed  be  a  cherished 
thing.  To  me  his  presence  was  especially  valuable, 
as  I  found  my  relations  to  music  still  unchanged.  I 
listened  with  satisfaction  and  delight.  The  historical 
development  of  music,  as  Felix  portrayed  it,  was  parti- 
cularly interesting ;  for  who  can  understand  a  thing  who 
does  not  penetrate  it  far  enough  to  know  its  history? 
The  chief  excellence  in  Felix  is,  that  he  not  only 
thoroughly  understands  the  history  of  musical  science, 
but  his  rare  memory  brings  to  him  the  best  pieces 
of  each  era,  and  enables  him  to  play  at  will  what  best 
illustrates  the  development  of  music.  From  Bach 
down,  he  has  called  Haydn,  Mozart,  and  Gluck  back  to 
life.  Of  the  great  moderns  he  has  given  examples 
enough;  and,  lastly,  he  has  played  his  own  pieces  in 
such  a  way  as  to  make  me  both  feel  and  remember 


LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN.  21 

them.  He  has  gone  from  here  with  my  heartiest  bless- 
ings. Remember  me  very  cordially  to  his  parents." 
After  this  time,  up  to  Goethe's  death,  the  two  remained 
in  constant  correspondence ;  and  Goethe  always  ex- 
pressed his  admiration  of  his  "cheerful,  affectionate, 
most  interesting  letters,"  as  well  as  took  the  most  active 
interest  in  his  progress.  On  the  4th  of  January,  1831, 
he  writes  to  Zelter :  "  Felix,  whose  welfare  and  happy 
stay  in  Rome  you  announce  to  me,  must  be  always 
taken  the  best  care  of:  such  extraordinary  talents 
joined  to  such  an  amiable  nature!"  On  the  31st  of 
March,  he  writes  :  "  First  of  all,  I  must  tell  you  that  I 
have  just  received  a  very  full  and  affectionate  letter 
from  Felix,  which  gives  me  an  excellent  picture  of  his 
life.  There  is  now  no  reason  to  fear  that  he  will  go 
through  fire  and  water,  only  to  come  out  at  barbarism 
at  last."  How  truly  this  prophecy  was  fulfilled  !  With 
what  energy  Mendelssohn  has  persevered  in  all  the 
decay  of  art,  and  amid  the  rank  growth  that  covers 
the  glorious  old  ruins,  keeping  close  only  to  what  was 
classic,  and  in  no  one  of  his  creations  catering  to  the 
depraved  taste  of  the  times ! 

I  speak  more  fully  regarding  this  connection  between 
Mendelssohn  and  Goethe  than  I  should,  had  not  this 
important  step  in  his  progress  been  overlooked  by 
most  who  have  lately  written  about  him.  He  may  be 
regarded  as  the  last  gift  of  that  great  period  in  which 


22  LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN. 

Germany's  men  of  genius  tempered  their  gifts  in  the 
furnace  of  a  glorious  antiquity ;  and  to  show  Mendels- 
sohn just  his  place,  and  leave  upon  him  an  impress  so 
strong  that  it  could  never  be  lost,  this  connection  with 
Goethe  was  needed,  who  united  so  finely  a  Greek  nature 
and  culture  with  a  genuine  German  spirit.  But,  in 
order  to  appreciate  this  connection  and  its  influence, 
we  must  review  the  events  in  the  life  of  the  young 
artist.  I  will  therefore  run  through  the  story  of  the 
development  of  his  genius,  beginning  at  the  point  where 
we  left  the  lad  under  the  care  of  Zelter  and  Ludwig 
Berger. 

Ludwig  Berger  had  planted  the  young  tree :  Zelter 
had  tilled  the  ground  around  it,  and  had  been  a  kind  of 
stormy  wind  to  it,  shaking  it  roughly,  but  only  to  cause 
it  to  sink  its  roots  deeper  and  stronger.  There  was 
wanting,  however,  even  yet,  the  skilful  gardener,  com- 
bining thoroughness  with  grace,  who  should  protect 
it  from  the  frost,  and  bring  its  first-fruits  to  perfec- 
tion. He  was  found,  in  1824,  in  Moscheles,  an  artist  of 
the  highest  order,  whose  efforts  to  bring  out  the  genius 
of  Mendelssohn  were  crowned  with  a  success  which  the 
gifted  pupil  was  the  first  to  ascribe  to  its  right  source. 
I  will  extract  a  passage  from  Moscheles'  journal  made 
at  that  time,  which  he  has  kindly  permitted  ma  to  use, 
and  which  will  clearly  show  the  relation  he  then  bore  to 
Mendelssohn.  "  In  the  autumn  of  1824,  I  gave  my  first 


LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN.  23 

concerts  in  Berlin.  I  was  acquainted  with  the  Men- 
delssohn Family,  and  was  soon  on  terms  of  intimacy 
with  them.  In  the  course  of  my  daily  visits  at  their 
house,  I  became  familiar  with  the  musical  powers  of 
young  Felix,  and  was  much  interested  in  his  charm- 
ing character.  His  youthful  efforts  were,  to  my  mind, 
a  sufficient  guaranty  of  the  eminence  which  he  was 
destined  to  attain.  His  parents  often  urged  me  to 
give  him  instruction  on  the  piano ;  and  although  his 
former  instructor,  Ludwig  Berger,  consented  to  this  ar- 
rangement willingly,  yet  I  hesitated  about  putting  this 
powerful  genius  under  a  leading  influence  which  might 
have  the  injurious  effect  of  conflicting  with  the  direction 
which  lu's  own  original  nature  might  suggest  to  him. 
Yet,  at  their  repeated  requests,  I  did  give  him  lessons. 
He  even  then  could  play  any  thing  that  I  could,  and 
grasped  the  slightest  hint  with  lightning-like  rapidity. 
My  '  E-flat  Major  Concerto '  he  played  almost  at  first 
sight ;  and  my  '  Senate  melancholique '  he  rendered 
very  finely."  Other  passages  indicate  very  pleasantly 
the  intensely  musical  life  of  the  Mendelssohn  household. 
On  the  14th  of  November,  Moscheles  was  there:  it 
was  the  celebration  of  the  birthday  of  his  oldest  sister, 
Fanny.  A  symphony  by  Mendelssohn  was  given.  He 
himself  played  Mozart's  "  C-minor  Concerto ; "  and, 
with  his  sister,  a  duo-concerto  in  E  major,  composed 
by  himself.  Zelter  and  many  members  of  the  Royal 


24  LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN. 

Chapel  were  present.  On  the  28th  of  the  same  month, 
there  was  another  musical  entertainment  at  the  same 
place,  —  Mendelssohn's  father's  house.  A  symphony 
in  D  major  by  the  young  artist  was  given.  He  played 
his  piano-quartet  in  C  minor ;  and  his  sister  Fanny, 
a  concerto  by  Sebastian  Bach.  On  the  oth  of  Decem- 
ber, Mozart's  "  Requiem "  was  given.  Mendelssohn 
accompanied  on  the  piano.  On  the  12th  of  Decem- 
ber, at  a  similar  concert,  Felix  played  his  "F-minor 
Quartet ; "  and  Moscheles  gave  for  the  first  time  his 
piece,  afterwards  so  famous,  —  "  Homage  to  Handel." 
Soon  after  this,  if  I  mistake  not,  Moscheles  went  to 
England. 

The  19th  of  November,  1826,  was  a  memorable 
epoch  in  Mendelssohn's  career ;  for  then  he  played,  for 
the  first  time,  his  overture  to  the  "  Midsummer  Night's 
Dream,"  —  his  first  work  which  bore  the  distinct  marks 
of  genius,  and  which  gave  him  at  once  a  name  in  the 
musical  world.  He  first  played  it  with  his  sister  Fanny, 
as  a  duet  for  the  piano. 

This  is  enough  to  indicate  the  strong  musical  direc- 
tion of  his  father's  household,  and  to  show  that  Men- 
delssohn himself  furnished  the  most  valuable  material, 
and  yet  constantly  nourished  his  own  genius  at  the 
same  feast  which  was  so  delightful  to  others.  So  far  as 
Moscheles'  influence  on  him  is  concerned,  we  shall 
hardly  mistake,  I  suppose,  if  we  set  it  down  as  certain, 


LIFE  OF  MENDELSSOHN.  25 

that  he  confined  himself  to  merely  giving  him  a  strong 
impulse,  and  hints  as  to  execution  ;  and  yet  it  is  certain 
that  to  those  hints  may  be  largely  ascribed  that  ele- 
gance and  roundness,  which,  with  other  prominent 
excellences,  were  always  observable  in  Mendelssohn's 
piano-playing,  down  to  the  last.  Yet  Moscheles  soon 
exchanged  the  relation  of  teacher  for  that  of  friend,  — 
a  bond  which  was  always  rich  in  usefulness  and  real 
joy  to  Mendelssohn.  It  was  Moscheles  who  first  intro- 
duced him  to  the  great  world,  by  persuading  him  to 
come  to  London  ;  for  it  can  hardly  be  denied  that  the 
reputation  of  Mendelssohn  first  became  appreciable  in 
Germany  after  his  return  from  England.  In  the  place 
of  his  youth,  in  Berlin,  his  talents  did  not  gain  prompt 
recognition.  During  all  the  denial  of  his  genius  by 
this  city,  Moscheles  kept  up  his  courage ;  and,  for  this, 
Mendelssohn  remained  grateful  to  the  end  of  his  life. 
There  was  no  lack  of  letters  between  them ;  and  from 
one  of  Mendelssohn's  I  make  a  brief  extract.  It  seems 
to  have  been  written  about  1839.  "  You  still  keep  up 
your  encouraging  words,  and  show  your  good-will ;  and, 
so  long  as  you  do,,  all  the  dii  minorum  gentium  may 
make  faces  as  much  as  they  will."  All  through  Men- 
delssohn's life,  he  was  proud  to  call  himself  Moscheles' 
scholar. 

Felix's  body  and  mind  were  assiduously  cared  for  by 
his  excellent  father ;  ti-ained  harmoniously,  and  not  sac- 


26  LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN. 

rificed  to  the  love  of  music  alone.  We  see  him,  in  his 
seventeenth  year,  devoting  himself  to  gymnastics,  rid- 
ing, and  swimming.  Having  an  excellent  classical  pre- 
paration, in  1827  he  entered  the  University  of  Berlin, 
and  gave  himself  earnestly  to  the  cultivation  of  those 
sciences  which  accorded  with  his  own  chosen  profession. 
Among  other  professors,  he  listened  to  Hegel,  who  set 
great  value  on  music  (as  Zelter  himself  tells  us)  ;  and 
soon  knew  how  to  reproduce  all  his  peculiarities  in  a 
very  pleasant  and  nai've  way.  The  abstract  nature  of 
Hegel,  his  dragging  every  thing  practical,  every  thing 
that  lay  before  him,  into  his  system,  and  his  dry,  ab- 
sent way,  were  a  great  source  of  merriment  to  Felix. 
About  this  time,  he  went  to  Stettin  to  help  bring  out 
there  his  newest  works.  On  the  llth  of  March,  he 
directed  Bach's  "  Passion,"  which  he  had  practised  with 
Zelter  :  for  a  director  of  twenty,  certainly  an  amazing 
feat. 

As  early  as  1827,  Mendelssohn's  father  had  written 
to  Moscheles,  in  London,  to  inquire  whether  he  would 
advise  Felix  to  travel.  It  is  probable  that  he  favored 
the  plan  ;  yet  the  father  preferred  to  postpone  his  son's 
departure  till  the  completion  of  his  studies  at  the  uni- 
versity. It  was  the  spring  of  1829,  when  the  moment 
arrived  for  the  young  man  to  try  his  pinions  in  flight 
out  into  the  great  world.  Before  we  follow  him,  let  us 
glance  at  his  productive  activity  thus  far.  Mendelssohn 


LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN.  27 

had  composed  up  to  this  time,  so  far  as  I  can  learn, 
three  quartets,  in  C  minor,  F  minor,  and  B  minor, 
for  piano,  violin,  viola,  and  violoncello  ;  two  sonatas,  — 
one  for  the  piano-forte  and  violin  (F  minor),  the  other 
for  the  piano-forte  alone  (B-flat  major)  ;  a  symphony  in 
C  minor,  and  another  in  D  major ;  a  symphony  over- 
ture;  various  operettas,  —  among  them,  the  one  now 
printed,  "  Camacho's  Wedding  ; "  two  sets  of  songs, 
twelve  in  each  set ;  and  the  two  great  overtures,  —  to 
the  "  Midsummer  Night's  Dream,"  and  "  A  Calm  at  Sea 
(Meeresstille)  and  Prosperous  Voyage ; "  which  last 
he  seems  to  have  written  soon  after  the  "  Midsummer 
Night's  Dream"  was  finished.  If  he  really  composed 
that  overture  before  viewing  the  sea,  it  was  as  great  an 
effort  of  the  imagination  as  the  picture  of  Alpine  sce- 
nery in  Schiller's  "  William  Tell."  It  were  not  possible 
for  the  depressing  calm,  the  joy  over  the  first  puffs  of  air, 
the  sailing  of  the  ship  into  port,  to  be  better  painted 
by  music.  Besides  these,  he  composed  a  capriccio,  and 
some  smaller  piano  pieces,  and  the  octet.  But  this  is 
enough  to  show  that  the  young  artist  displayed  a  won- 
derfully precocious  genius,  and  justified  the  fond  hopes 
which  were  cherished  of  his  future. 


28  LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Mendelssohn  Tisits  England.  —  Concerts  in  London  with  Sontag.  —  First  pub- 
lic Performance  ever  given  of  the  u  Midsummer  Night's  Dream  "  Overture. 
—  He  visits  Scotland  and  the  Hebrides.  —  He  returns  to  Germany,  visits 
Munich,  and  then  sets  his  Steps  towards  Italy.  — His  Sojourn  in  Italy,  and 
its  Fruits.  —  He  visits  Paris ;  thence  goes  to  London ;  afterwards,  Home  to 
Berlin. 

the  26th  of  March,  18^9,  Mendelssohn  informei 
Moscheles  of  his  bringing  out  Bach's  "  Passion 
Music,"  and  announced  his  speedy  departure.  On  the 
20th  of  April,  he  arrived  at  London.  Moscheles  had 
made  the  directors  of  the  Philharmonic  Society  ac- 
quainted with  his  extraordinary  talents,  and  prepai'ed 
every  thing  for  his  favorable  reception.  Mendelssohn 
brought  his  old  teacher,  in  manuscript,  a  sacred  cantata 
on  a  choral  in  A  minor,  a  motet  for  sixteen  voices,  and 
his  first  stringed  quartet  in  A  minor.  At  the  Phil- 
harmonic Concert,  his  overture  to  the  "  Midsummer 
Night's  Dream "  was  given  publicly  for  the  first  time, 
and  pleased  very  much.  At  a  concert  given  by  Hen- 
rietta Sontag,  his  concerto  in  E  major  for  two  pianos,  and 
his  Midsummer  overture,  were  given  with  the  most 


LIFE  OF  MENDELSSOHN.  29 

enthusiastic  applause.  The  journey  to  Scotland,  which 
he  took  for  his  pleasure,  suggested  to  him  the  over- 
ture, "  Fingal's  Cave  "  or  "  The  Hebrides."  He  wrote 
this  probably  after  his  return  to  Berlin  the  same 
year,  ^t  is  said  that  this  was  the  manner  in  which 
the  overture,  "  The  Hebrides,"  took  its  rise :  Men- 
delssohn's sisters  asked  him  to  tell  them  something 
about  the  Hebrides.  "  It  cannot  be  told,  only  played," 
he  said.  No  sooner  spoken  than  he  seated  himself  at 
the  piano,  and  played  the  theme  which  afterwards  grew 
into  the  overture. 

In  May,  1830,  he  continued  his  travels.  At  Weimar, 
as  has  been  already  said,  he  tarried  a  couple  of  weeks 
with  Goethe,  and  thence  went  to  Munich.  Here  he 
heard  for  the  first  time  the  eminent  pianist,  Delphine 
von  Schauroth ;  who  seems  to  have  inspired  Mendelssohn 
with  even  more  than  artistic  interest.  It  is  said  that 
the  beautiful  "Travel  Song"  from  Opus  19,  "Bring  the 
Heart's  Truest  Greeting,"  which  he  composed  at  Rome,  is 
to  be  ascribed  to  that  interest.  He  journeyed  through 
Italy  in  company  with  several  painters,  —  Hildebrand, 
Sohn,  Hiibner,  Bendemann,  and  others ;  and  arrived  at 
Rome  the  1st  of  November,  where  he  tarried  till  April, 
1831,  and  thence  went  to  Naples.  In  Rome,  he  com- 
posed the  music  to  Goethe's  "First  Walpurgis  Night;" 
as  if  he  wanted  to  free  himself,  by  its  bracing  vigor, 
from  the  untoning  influence  of  the  South.  It  would  be 


30  LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN. 

interesting  to  know  more  about  Mendelssohn's  stay  in 
Italy* 

He  wished  much  to  visit  Sicily ;  but  did  not,  in  conse- 
quence of  his  father's  wish.  On  his  return  from  Italy, 
he  visited  Switzerland;  and  in  February,  1832,  we  find 
him  in  Paris,  where  he  gave  in  public  his  overture  to 
the  "Midsummer  Night's  Dream."  It  was  the  third, 
and^  so  far  as  I  know,  the  last  time  that  he  visited  Paris. 
The  French  nature  did  not  please  him.  After  overcom- 
ing an  attack  of  cholera  in  Paris,  he  went  to  London. 
Here  he  added  to  the  list  of  his  influential  friends  Kling- 
emann,  who  was  then  attached  to  the  Hanoverian  em- 
bassy, and  who  wrote  the  verses  to  a  number  of  songs 
by  him.  This  time  he  could  show  Moscheles  the  manu- 
scripts of  three  new  pieces  of  the  highest  value,  —  the 
music  of  the  "  Walpurgis  Night,"  -the  overture,  "  Fin- 
gal's  Cave,"  and  the  "  G-minor  Concerto ;"  that  masterly 
composition  for  the  piano-forte  and  orchestra,  which  will 
always  remain  as  a  fine  type  of  the  blended  grace,  imagi- 
nation, and  fire  in  Mendelssohn's  genius.  On  the  14th  of 
May,  the  overture,  "  Fingal's  Cave,"  was  given  for  the 
first  time  at  the  Philharmonic  Concert  in  London.  On 
the  28th  of  May,  Mendelssohn  himself  played  his  "  G- 
minor  Concerto  "  for  the  first  time.  The  1st  of  June,  he 
played,  with  Moscheles,  Mozart's  duo-concerto,  and  di- 

*  This  -want  has  been  richly  supplied  in  Mendelssohn's  Letters 
from  Italy  and  Switzerland.  Philadelphia:  F.  Leypoldt. 


LIFE  OF  MENDELSSOHN.  31 

reeled  the  "  Midsummer  Night's  Dream  "  overture.  On 
the  10th  of  June,  lie  played  fugue  music  on  the  organ 
in  St.  Paul's  Church,  to  the  amazement  of  all  the 
listeners.  He  also  took  part  in  other  entertainments,  to 
all  of  which  I  hardly  need  refer ;  and,  on  the  23d  of 
June,  he  turned  his  steps  towards  Berlin. 


32  LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Mendelssohn  applies  for  the  Directorship  of  the  Sing-Academie  in  Berlin.  —Is 
disappointed.  — Assumes  Charge  of  the  Ddsseldorf  Musical  Festival.  — A 
new  Epoch  in  his  Life.  —  Success  in  Diisseldorf.  —  Flying  Trip  to  London, 
and  Concerts  there.— The  Diisseldorf  Festival.  —  He  is  chosen  Municipal 
Music  Director.  —  Friendship  with  Immermann.  —  Their  united  Labors.  — 
Estrangement.  —  Cologne  Musical  Festival.  —  Efforts  to  secure  Mendelssohn 
at  Leipzig. 

rriHE  directorship  of  the  Berlin  Sing-Academie  was 
-*-  now  vacant ;  and,  at  the  urgent  solicitation  of  his 
friends,  Mendelssohn  applied  for  the  place,  as  he  now 
wished  for  some  stated  field  of  labor.  He  was  not  elect- 
ed, however :  the  choice  fell  on  Rungenhagen.*  By  a 
series  of  concerts,  whose  proceeds  were  to  be  applied 
to  benevolent  purposes,  Mendelssohn  tried  to  educate 
the  musical  taste  of  the  city.  In  a  round  of  miscella- 
neous duties,  and  without  any  definite  occupation,  he 
labored  on  for  some  time,  till,  in  the  spring  of  1833, 
he  was  invited  to  assume  the  direction  of  the  annual 
Musical  Festival  at  Dusseldorf. 

With  his  visit  to  Dusseldorf  begins  a  new  epoch  in 
the  life  of  Mendelssohn.  The  first  stage  in  his  career 

*  The  opposition  seems  to  have  been  headed  by  the  more  elderly 
ladies  of  the  Sing-Academie,  though  the  failure  of  "  Camacho's  Wed- 
ding" seems  to  have  left  a  lasting  prejudice  against  Mendelssohn. 


LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN.  33 

was  his  boyhood  in  his  father's  house ;  the  second  was 
the  time  devoted  to  travel ;  and  this,  to  which  we  now 
come,  was  the  third,  —  the  one  which  was  to  put  his 
genius,  power,  and  learning  to  the  test. 

He  entered  upon  his  course  with  a  conqueror's  tread ; 
gaining  an  assured  success  so  far  as  he  went,  yet  in 
such  a  way  and  against  such  opposition  as  showed  him 
that  he  must  contend  for  every  inch  of  his  progress. 
Even  among  musicians,  he  found  hostile  spirits  who 
stood  in  his  path.  Yet  it  was  a  glorious  piece  of  good 
fortune  that  his  first  invitation  carried  him  to  Diissel- 
dorf;  for  here  he  rejoined  that  company  of  painters 
with  whom  he  had  made  the  tour  of  Italy.  That  whole 
circle  (William  Schadow,  the  sculptor,  being  the  central 
figure)  gave  him  a  most  cordial  welcome,  and  not  only 
then,  but  to  the  end  of  his  life,  remained  attached  to 
him  in  bonds  of  almost  fraternal  affection. 

But,  before  we  accompany  Mendelssohn  to  this  new 
field  of  labor,  we  must  follow  him  to  London ;  and  al- 
though the  direction  of  the  Musical  Festival  at  Diissel- 
dorf  falls  between  a  first  and  second  visit  to  London  in 
1833,  we  must  enter  a  little  into  detail  about  his  recep- 
tion at  that  great  metropolis.  He  arrived  in  London  on 
the  25th  of  April ;  and,  in  conjunction  with  Moscheles, 
he  composed  in  two  days  the  four-handed  variations  on 
the  Gypsy  March  from  "  Preciosa,"  which  the  two  artists 
played  at  Moscheles'  concert  on  the  Jst  of  May.  This 


34  LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN. 

union  of  labor  went  so  far,  that  they  sometimes  impro- 
vised at  the  same  piano,  in  four-handed  playing;  de- 
manding a  most  intimate  understanding  of  each  other's 
thoughts  and  feelings  in  the  working-out  of  the  theme. 
On  the  13th  of  May,  at  the  Philharmonic  Concert,  the 
symphony  in  A  major,  by  Mendelssohn,  was  given ;  on 
the  15th,  the  variations  from  "Preciosa;"  after  which 
Mendelssohn  left  London  for  Diisseldorf.  On  the  8th  of 
June,  however,  he  returned  to  London  in  company  with 
his  father.  On  the  10th  of  June,  an  overture  in  C 
major,  written  by  him,  was  given;  probably  the  same 
which  had  been  played  at  Diisseldorf.  For  a  number 
of  weeks,  the  father  was  confined  to  his  room  by  lame- 
ness. While  Felix  tended  him,  he  wrote  for  Moscheles 
a  four-handed  arrangement  of  his  septet.  During 
these  weeks  of  confinement,  he  also  played  to  Moscheles, 
from  manuscript,  his  overture  to  "  Melusina."  It  grew 
out  of  a  picture  which  he  had  probably  seen  at  Diissel- 
dorf, where  Melusina  appears  hovering  on  the  top  of  a 
tower.*  Moscheles  produced  it  at  the  Philharmonic 
Concert  of  April  7,  1834 ;  where,  however,  it  did  not 
meet  with  a  hearty  recognition.  Given  again  in  one  of 
Moscheles'  own  concerts,  in  conjunction  with  a  rondo  by 
Mendelssohn  in  E-flat  major  (Op.  29),  it  was  well  re- 
ceived. It  would  have  gone  better  the  first  time,  I 

*  Mendelssohn,  in  his  "  Letters,"  gives  quite  a  different  account 
of  it 


LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN.  35 

think,  had  it  not  been  for  the  weight  of  the  orchestra: 
the  delicate  and  unusual  style  demanded  a  more  gentle 
manner  of  instrumentation.  A  letter  of  Mendelssohn 
to  Moscheles  now  existing  is  very  interesting,  written 
after  he  had  received  from  the  latter  an  account  of  the 
first  performance.  He  thanks  him  in  the  heartiest  man- 
ner, and  expresses  the  highest  gratification  that  the 
overture  pleased  him.  Mendelssohn  needed  a  good 
deal  of  approbation  at  this  time  to  give  him  confidence 
enough  in  himself,  which  was  wanting  as  yet.  He  then 
jokingly  adds,  that  Moscheles'  praise  is  better  than 
three  orders  of  nobility ;  and  goes  on  to  give  some 
excellent  hints  about  the  execution  of  the  piece,  —  about 
the  wind-instrumentation,  for  example,  —  which  he 
wanted  played  pp ;  but  he  is  careful  to  say  not  ppp 
(so  strong  was  his  objection  to  every  thing  forced  and 
unnatural).  On  the  25th  of  August,  1833,  he  left  Lon- 
don, and  did  not  see  it  again  for  a  long  time. 

We  now  turn  back  to  Diisseldorf.  At  the  great 
Musical  Festival  there,  which  he  directed,  and  which  was 
held  about  the  last  of  May  or  first  of  June,  the  great 
overture  in  C  major,  written,  I  think,  in  1823  or  1824, 
but  never  performed  in  Germany  till  then,  was  given  to- 
gether with  " Israel  in  Egypt,"  the  great "  Leonora"  over- 
ture in  C,  the  "  Pastoral  Symphony,"  Wolf's  "  Easter 
Cantata,"  and  Winter's  "  Power  of  Music."  He  him- 
self played  Von  Weber's  concert-piece.  The  festival, 


36  LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN. 

honored  by  the  co-operation  of  the  great  soloist  Madame 
Decker,  was  characterized  by  so  admirable  a  selection, 
aud  so  excellent  a  performance,  that  there  was  a  strong 
wish  to  retain  the  director  at  Diisseldorf.  For  this 
purpose,  the  city  created  the  office  of  Municipal  Musical 
Director ;  assigning  him  the  care  of  the  weekly  meetings 
of  the  Vocal  Society,  the  care  of  the  Winter  Concerts, 
and  the  direction  of  the  music  in  the  Catholic  church. 
The  concerts  seem  not  to  have  given  all  the  satisfaction 
which  was  hoped  ;  since  in  the  whole  time,  from  Novem- 
ber, 1833,  to  May,  1834,  only  three  were  held.  Yet  no 
blame  can  be  attached  to  Mendelssohn,  who  selected  very 
fine  programmes,  and  twice  played  the  piano  himself. 

During  this  period,  he  was  united  by  ties  of  the 
closest  intimacy  to  the  poet  Immermann.  They  had 
known  each  other  before.  At  Mendelssohn's  request, 
Immermann  had  written  a  libretto,  in  the  spring  of 
1833,  from  Shakspeare's  "Tempest,"  for  Mendelssohn 
to  set  to  music ;  but  the  latter  had  not  found  it  availa- 
ble. It  was  interesting ;  in  some  passages,  highly  poetic ; 
but  not  suitable  for  opera,  as  Immermann  had  a  special 
lack  of  lyrical  talent.  This  rejection  of  the  libretto 
had,  however,  no  effect  on  their  friendly  relations  to  each 
other.  These  grew  more  close  and  intimate  ;  and  Im- 
mermann seems  to  have  clung  to  Mendelssohn  with  the 
most  devoted  attachment. 

The  close  friendship  of  these  two  distinguished  men. 


LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN.  37 

and  the  low  estate  to  which  the  German  theatre  had 
fallen,  inspired  the  hope  that  they  would  effect  an  entire 
reformation  of  the  drama.  Immermann,  Mendelssohn, 
and  Uechtritz,  an  eminent  friend  of  both,  declared  them- 
selves ready  to  enter  upon  this  much-needed  work.  In 
the  spring  of  1834,  the  preliminary  trials  were  made 
to  test  the  chances  of  success.  Among  them  were  given 
"  Don  Juan"  and  the  "  Water-carrier,"  the  first  operas 
which  Mendelssohn  publicly  directed;  also  Goethe's 
"  Egrnont,"  with  Beethoven's  music.  In  the  prepara- 
tion of  Calderon's  "Steadfast  Prince,"  Mendelssohn 
composed  the  following  music  needed  for  its  repre- 
sentation, —  two  choruses,  a  march,  a  battle-piece,  and 
the  melodramatic  part.  This  very  interesting  and 
characteristic  music  has  not  been  used  since.  These 
preliminary  efforts  were  so  successful,  that  a  company 
was  formed,  a  large  capital  raised,  and  a  new  and  com- 
modious theatre  erected,  at  Diisseldorf.  A  directory 
of  eleven  persons  controlled  the  whole  management. 
Immermann  and  Mendelssohn  were  conjoined  with 
them,  —  the  one  having  the  chief  direction  of  the 
drama ;  the  other,  of  the  opera.  As  Mendelssohn 
could  not  and  would  •  not  devote  himself  wholly  to  this 
enterprise,  he  invited  to  Diisseldorf  a  friend  of  his 
youth,  and  one  of  his  most  skilful  scholars,  —  Julius 
Rietz.  They  had  been  acquainted  in  Berlin ;  were 
of  about  the  same  age  (Rietz  a  little  the  younger)  ;  and 


38  LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN. 

Mendelssohn  had  given  him  lessons  on  the  piano.  I 
use  the  title  of  scholar  of  Mendelssohn,  with  regard  to 
Rietz,  with  no  other  significance  than  as  denoting  one 
of  the  best  living  representatives  of  the  Mendelssohn 
school,  of  which  there  is  needed  no  better  specimen 
than  his  noble  "  Festival  Overture  in  A  Major."  On 
the  28th  of  October,  1834,  the  theatre  was  opened  with 
the  "  Prince  of  Hamburg,"  and  an  excellent  prologue 
written  by  Immermann.  At  the  close  of  the  prologue, 
Raphael's  "  Parnassus  "  was  presented  as  a  tableau  vivant, 
for  which  Mendelssohn  had  composed  music. 

Unhappily  the  theatre  was  a  source  of  misunder- 
standing between  Immermann  and  Mendelssohn.  They 
both  had  the  best,  the  noblest  of  intentions :  they  only 
lacked  the  requisite  theatrical  experience.  Mendels- 
sohn gave  offence  by  bringing  from  Berlin  some  young 
and  unripe  performers.  Immermann,  on  the  other 
hand,  wanted  to  exalt  the  spoken  drama  at  the  expense 
of  the  opera ;  or,  rather,  he  wanted  no  opera  at  all. 
This  gave  rise  to  reproaches  on  both  sides,  an  exchange 
of  sharp  words,  and,  at  last,  to  total  estrangement.  Men- 
delssohn withdrew,  after  he  had  studied  and  twice  di- 
rected "Oberon,"_in  the  very  first  weeks  of  the  first 
season,  and  despite  his  own  engagement ;  and  his  rela- 
tion to  Immermann  was  never  again  one  of  friendship. 
The  theatre  sustained  itself  with  great  difficulty  till  the 
spring  of  1837. 


LIFE  OF  MENDELSSOHN.  39 

But  though  his  tie  to  a  great  poet  was  thus  dissolved, 
yet  his  relations  to  the  painters  of  Diisseldorf  grew 
closer  than  ever.  He  himself  cultivated  in  those  years 
his  remarkable  powers  in  drawing ;  and  under  the 
direction  of  Schirmer,  the  great  landscape  painter  of 
Diisseldorf,  to  whom  he  afterwards  dedicated  his  CXIV. 
Psalm,  executed  a  very  beautiful  sketch  in  water-colors. 
He  exercised  this  gift  in  a  very  attractive  manner  in 
adorning  the  albums  of  his  friends.  To  Klingemann 
in  London,  for  instance,  he  sent  an  album  containing 
thirty  drawings,  illustrating  Klingemann's  own  poems. 
Prof.  Moscheles  also  possesses  a  number  of  sketches 
from  his  hand,  pleasant  reminiscences  of  their  artist-life 
together,  with  exquisite  touches  of  humor  where  they 
illustrate  Moscheles  as  a  musician. 

Meantime,  in  the  winter  of  1834-5,  the  concerts,  and 
the  weekly  meetings  of  the  Vocal-music  Society,  were 
in  their  perfect  bloom.  There  were  seven  concerts 
given,  at  two  of  which  the  "Messiah"  and  Haydn's 
"Seasons"  were  performed.  But  the  great  business  of 
Mendelssohn  at  Diisseldorf  was  the  composition  of  "  St. 
Paul."  Besides  that  great  and  enduring  work  of  genius, 
he  wrote  the  three  piano  capriccios  (Op.  33);  a  number  of 
songs  without  words  ;  among  others,  those  of  the  second 
set,  and  the  three  Heine  songs  in  the  first  set  of  his 
four-part  songs  (Op.  41).  In  all  sorts  of  musical 
delights,  he  was  not  wanting;  and  Mendelssohn  was 


40  LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN. 

not  at  all  chary  in  playing  for  the  entertainment  of  his 
friends. 

In  the  spring  of  1835,  he  was  invited  to  take  the 
direction  of  the  Cologne  Musical  Festival ;  which  he  did. 
There  were  given :  "  Festival  Overture,"  by  Beethoven, 
in  C ;  Handel's  "  Solomon,"  with  new  organ  part  by  Men- 
delssohn; Beethoven's  "  Eighth  Symphony;"  Milton's 
"  Morning  Song,"  with  Reichardt's  music  ;  "Overture  to 
Euryanthe,"  and  a  "  Religious  March  and  Hymn  "  by 
Cherubini.  The  gratification  of  the  Cologne  musical 
public  was  complete.  In  token  of  their  appreciation, 
the  committee  presented  him  with  the  London  edition 
of  Handel's  Works,  and  their  thanks  beautifully  written 
on  parchment,  together  with  the  signatures  of  the  six 
hundred  performers  whom  he  had  directed. 

Meantime,  Mendelssohn's  reputation  had  reached 
Leipzig,  and  there  was  a  strong  wish  to  secure  his  ser- 
vices in  that  city.  Some  of  the  most  eminent  fellows 
of  the  university  had  cherished  the  hope  of  accomplish- 
ing the  object  by  founding  a  professorship  of  music 
for  Mendelssohn,  whose  thorough  mastery  of  musical 
science  was  known  to  them.  He  was  questioned  regard- 
ing this.  He  wrote  back,  politely  thanking  them  for 
the  honor,  but  declining  to  read  lectures,  for  which,  as 
we  all  learned  afterwards,  he  had  no  talent.  Meantime, 
the  wish  to  secure  him  had  grown  into  a  determination ; 
and  the  very  hand  which  wrote  to  him  about  a  profes- 


LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN.  41 

sorship  was  instrumental  in  procuring  for  him  the 
direction  of  the  Leipzig  Gewandhaus  concerts.  This  post 
he  accepted.  According  to  his  Diisseldorf  contract,  ho 
could  be  released  from  his  engagement  there  at  the  end 
of  two  years.  He  obtained  this  release ;  and  after  giv- 
ing, on  the  2d  of  July,  1835,  a  very  choice  concert, — 
in  which  he  played  his  piano  capriccio  in  B  minor,  — 
he  left  Diisseldorf,  to  the  great  grief  of  a  large  circle  of 
friends. 


42  LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN. 


CHAPTER    IV. 


Mendelssohn  becomes  the  Director  of  the  Gewandhaus  Concerts  at  Leipzig.  — 
His  strict  Training  of  the  Orchestra.  —His  Efforts  to  educate  a  refined  Taste 
for  Classical  Music.  —  His  first  Appearance  with  the  Baton.  —  The  Concerts 
under  his  Direction.  —  Ferdinand  David  conies  to  Leipzig. 


his  coming  to  Leipzig  (which  was  his  home 
from  September,  1835,  to  1844,  and  from  1845 
to  the  end  of  his  life),  begins  the  fourth  period  of  his 
career,  —  an  epoch  full  of  the  richest,  most  varied,  most 
untiring  activity  for  himself,  and  one  of  such  splendor 
in  the  musical  life  of  Leipzig  as  can  hardly  be  expected 
to  come  again.  He  directed  the  Gewandhaus  concerts 
personally  from  1835  to  1841  ;  producing  during  this 
time  a  great  number  of  master-pieces  of  enduring  excel- 
lence, yet  compelled  to  earn  his  way  into  public  favor 
step  by  step.  He  knew  how  to  command  the  resources 
of  the  place  perfectly  in  orchestra,  dilettanti,  and  chorus 
singers  ;  to  bear  with  them  with  the  greatest  patience  ; 
to  stimulate  them  all  into  activity  ;  and  thus  to  obtain 
effects  almost  unequalled  until  then.  For  he  did  not 
confine  himself  to  the  almost  purely  classical  training 
necessary  for  the  Gewandhaus  concerts,  but  improved 
every  opportunity  to  influence  the  public  taste  ;  so  that 


LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN.  43 

it  may  be  truly  said,  that,  in  the  practice  of  one  art,  he 
developed  an  appreciation  of  all,  and  gave  to  the  life  of 
the  cultivated  people  of  Leipzig  a  higher  ideal  by  the 
pure  moral  and  truly  aesthetic  influence  which  he  exer- 
cised over  them.  He  did  this  not  only  by  an  always 
admirable  selection  of  the  music  to  be  performed  at  the 
concerts,  but  also  by  awakening,  through  his  superb  di- 
rection of  the  orchestra,  a  taste  on  the  part  of  the  public 
for  the  works  of  the  later  great  masters ;  as,  for  ex- 
ample, the  "  Ninth  Symphony  "  of  Beethoven.  He  not 
only  cultivated  a  relish  for  the  historical  development 
of  music,  but  he  summoned  the  mighty  spirits  of  the 
past  to  the  help  and  delight  of  the  present  age,  and 
often  combined  the  entire  musical  resources  of  Leipzig 
in  rendering  some  of  their  master-pieces.  "We  leave 
this  general  sketch  of  his  influence  in  that  city,  to  enter 
a  little  upon  some  of  the  details  of  his  life  there. 

The  4th  of  October,  1835,  was  an  eventful  day  for 
the  musical  history  of  Leipzig ;  for,  on  that  day,  Men- 
delssohn assumed  the  direction  of  the  Gewandhaus  con- 
certs. "  On  his  appearance,"  we  find  in  a  record  of 
the  concert,  published  in  a  musical  journal,  "the  murmur 
of  applause  which  ran. through  the  crowded  audience 
testified  to  the  welcome  which  Leipzig  gave  him.  The 
universal  favorite,  Mendelssohn's  overture,  '  A  Calm  at 
Sea  and  a  Happy  Voyage,'  (Meeresstille,  <§-c.)  was  given 
as  gently  and  gracefully  as  the  public  expected  from  a 


44  LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN. 

director  so  skilful  at  the  opening  of  his  course  with  us." 
It  may  be  interesting  to  many  readers  to  know  what  other 
pieces  were  also  given  on  this  occasion.  There  were  a 
scena  and  aria  in  E  major  by  Weber,  Spohr's  "  Violin 
Concerto,  No.  11,"  Introduction  to  Cherubini's  "Ali 
Baba ; "  and,  for  the  second  part,  Beethoven's  "  B-flat 
Major  Symphony,"  which  was  given  with  a  precision  till 
then  unknown  in  Leipzig.  Mendelssohn  had  carefully 
studied  the  piece,  and  directed  it  in  person, — an  arrange- 
ment new  to  us,  but  of  eminent  propriety.  There  had 
been  no  lack  of  excellence  in  former  days,  when  the  con- 
cert-master and  the  first  violin  had  the  direction  of 
Beethoven's  symphonies ;  yet  of  that  nice  shading,  that 
exact  adaptation  of  each  instrument,  that  perfect  har- 
mony of  all  instruments,  attained  under  Mendelssohn's 
direction,  there  had  been  no  conception.  The  perform- 
ance of  the  "  B-flat  Symphony  "  —  that  ethereal,  soul- 
ful music  —  was  one  of  the  master  effects  gained  by 
Mendelssohn  as  a  director.  Every  new  rendering  threw 
new  light  upon  it ;  so  that  the  listeners  were  compelled 
to  say,  "  So  perfectly  performed  we  never  heard  it  be- 
fore." It  was  given  the  last  time  under  his  direction  in 
the  winter  of  1846-7. 

On  the  9th  of  October,  Moscheles,  who  had  come  to 
Leipzig  (perhaps  on  Mendelssohn's  invitation),  gave  a 
concert,  which  was  crowded,  in  which  he  played  his 
"  Hommage  a  Haendel,"  and  at  which  the  overture, 


LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN.  45 

"  The  Hebrides  "  was  given.  At  the  second  subscription 
concert,  Mozart's  "  E-flat  Major  Symphony  "  was  played 
more  beautifully  than  ever  at  Leipzig  before.  At  the 
fourth  subscription  concert,  Mendelssohn  played  his  own 
noble  "  G-minor  Concerto."  He  was  received  at  the 
very  outset  with  applause  ;  which  strengthened,  however, 
with  every  movement,  as  the  admiration  increased  at 
the  ease,  elegance,  and  grace  of  his  playing.  Men- 
delssohn's loyalty  towards  the  great  musical  classics 
appeared  in  a  manner  very  grateful  to  the  audience, 
when,  in  the  fifth  concert,  he  brought  out  Haydn's 
"  Symphony,  No.  4."  The  sixth  concert  was  thoroughly 
classic,  —  Gluck's  overture  to  "  Iphigenia  in  Aulis  ; "  an 
aria  from  Paer,  with  violin  obligato ;  chorus  and  first 
finale  from  "  Titus,"  and  Beethoven's  "  Heroic  Sym- 
phony." This  auspicious  opening  was  sadly  interrupted, 
towards  the  end  of  November,  by  the  death  of  Men- 
delssohn's father.  The  son  mourned  deeply  over  his 
loss,  which  was  indeed  a  very  severe  one,  as  those  who 
now  know  the  father  through  his  letters  to  his  son  are 
aware. 

About  this  time,  Mendelssohn  renewed  his  intimacy 
with  a  friend  of  his  childhood,  —  Ferdinand  David, 
afterwards  so  well  known,  not  merely  to  the  Leipzig 
public,  but  to  the  musical  world.  Born  in  the  same 
house  with  Mendelssohn,  he  had  early  lost  his  parents ; 
and  had  been  taken  under  the  guardianship  of  the  elder 


46  LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN. 

Mendelssohn,  and  educated  mainly  in  his  family.  The 
talents  of  the  two  boys  expanded  side  by  side.  David 
had  adopted  the  violin,  and  had  early  manifested  won- 
derful skill  on  that  instrument.  He  first  tried  his  for- 
tune in  Hamburg,  his  native  city ;  but  soon  turned  back 
to  Berlin,  and  first  found  a  recognition  in  the  Royal 
Theatre,  where  his  playing  won  great  regard.  An  in- 
vitation from  a  gentleman  of  high  position  in  Dorpat 
drew  him  next  to  that  place.  After  being  separated 
from  each  other  many  years,  the  friends  met  at  the 
family  mansion  in  Berlin.  It  was  a  most  happy  inci- 
dent for  Mendelssohn  to  meet  such  a  friend  at  such  a 
time.  They  joined  their  fortunes,  and  turned  back  to 
Leipzig,  to  be  associated  till  death  sundered  the  bond. 
David  entered  upon  a  brilliant  career  as  a  violinist 
there,  and  always  stood  shoulder  to  shoulder  with  his 
friend  in  the  furtherance  of  all  his  plans. 


LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN.  47 


CHAPTER  V. 

Mendelssohn  finishes  his  "St.  Paul."  — Its  first  Performance.  —  Changes  in 
the  Work.  —  He  directs  a  Festival  at  Frankfort.  —  Enjoyment  in  that  City.  — 
Meets  his  future  Wife.  —  Tribute  to  her  Memory.  —  Sea-bathing.  —  Returns 
to  his  Place  at  Leipzig.  — Concerts  there. —Mendelssohn  as  a  Director.— 
Pleasant  Surprise  at  one  of  the  Concerts.  —  William  Sterndale  Bennett 
visits  Leipzig.  —  "  St.  Paul "  sung  there.  —  Brilliant  Effect  of  the  Work.  — 
Analysis  of  "  St.  Paul." 

~1PV  TIRING  all  this  activity  in  Mendelssohn's  external 
-*-'  life,  his  productive  talent  was  no  less  eagerly- 
engaged.  His  great  oratorio  of  "  St.  Paul,"  begun  in 
Diisseldorf,  was  finished  at  Leipzig  during  the  course  of 
this  winter.  The  author  seems  to  have  been  bound  by 
a  promise  to  produce  this  work  at  a  musical  festival  of 
Lower-Rhine  artists,  to  be  held  at  Diisseldorf.  At  any 
rate,  the  chorus-parts  were  engraved  at  Bonn  by  Sim- 
rock,  after  the  piece  was  completed,  and  sent  to  Diissel- 
dorf. Under  the  direction  of  Julius  Rietz,  the  rehearsals 
were  carried  on  with  great  enthusiasm;  and  when,  on 
the  8th  of  May,  1836,  Mendelssohn  arrived  in  person, 
he  found  the  work  all  ready  for  the  public  performance. 
On  Whitsunday,  the  22d  of  May,  occurred  the  introduc- 
tion of  the  oratorio  of  "St. -Paul"  to  the  world.  The 
solos  were  Madame  Fischer- Achten,  Miss  Grabau  (now 


48  LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN. 

Madame  Biinau),  Messieurs  Schmetzer  and  Wersing, 
the  latter  as  St.  Paul.  As  a  curious  fact,  it  may 
be  remarked,  that  the  two  false  witnesses  in  the  unim- 
portant duet  at  the  opening,  "We  have  heard  him 
utter  blasphemies,"  could  not  find  their  voices  when 
their  turn  came  to  sing.  The  success  of  the  piece  was 
decidedly  brilliant.  Mendelssohn's  sister,  herself  only 
and  hardly  second  to  her  brother  in  musical  genius,  — 
Fanny  Hensel,  whose  tragic  death  her  brother  Felix 
was  soon  called  to  deplore,  —  and  the  younger  brother, 
Paul  Mendelssohn,  had  come  from  Berlin  to  be  present 
at  the  first  performance  of  "  St.  Paul."  On  the  second 
day  of  the  festival,  Beethoven's  "  Ninth  Symphony,"  and 
the  first  overture  to  "  Leonora,"  then  freshly  produced, 
Mozart's  "  Davidde  Penitente,"  and  a  great  psalm  in  E 
flat,  by  Handel.  On  the  third  day,  Mendelssohn  played, 
with  Ferdinand  David,  the  great  "  A-minor  Sonata  "  of 
Beethoven ;  and  as  the  music  was  not  at  hand,  and  this 
piece  had  not  been  specially  indicated  for  the  occasion, 
he  played  from  memory.  The  Committee  of  Direction 
signified  their  gratification  at  Mendelssohn's  signal  suc- 
cess by  presenting  him  with  a  magnificent  copy  of  the 
oratorio  of  "  St.  Paul,"  adorned  with  elegant  drawings 
of  the  leading  scenes  in  the  sacred  drama,  executed  by 
the  first  artists  of  Diisseldorf,  —  Schrotter,  Hiibner, 
Steinbriick,  Miicke ;  to  which  one  was  added  by  Mendels- 
sohn's brother-in-law,  the  court-painter  Hensel. 


LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN.  49 

After  the  first  representation  of  "  St.  Paul,"  Mendels- 
sohn made  so  many  and  so  great  changes  in  the  work, 
that  the  great  number  of  voices  was  unnecessary.  Ten 
pieces  he  left  entirely  out;  and  the  first  great  aria 
in  B  minor,  he  reduced  to  about  a  third  of  its  original 
length.  On  the  other  hand,  he  composed,  some  days 
before  the  festival,  the  short  soprano  solo  in  F  major,  in 
the  second  part ;  not  to  speak  of  innumerable  smaller 
changes  in  the  body  of  the  work. 

After  this  festival  was  past,  Mendelssohn  went  to 
Frankfort-on-the-Main,  in  order  to  direct  at  the  public 
celebration  of  the  "Cecilia"  (Cticilien-Vereiri)  in  the 
place  of  his  friend  Schelble,  who  had  been  very  ill,  and 
was  trying  the  restorative  effect  of  sea-bathing.  This 
society  afforded  great  delight  to  Mendelssohn,  in  con- 
sequence of  its  large  number  of  fine  voices,  and  the 
secure  mastery  which  it  had  acquired  of  the  most  diffi- 
cult motets  of  Sebastian  Bach.  The  city  and  suburbs 
of  Frankfort,  which  he  had  seen  and  known  only  as  a 
child,  or  when  he  flitted  through  it  on  his  journeys, 
pleased  him  exceedingly.  He  enjoyed  himself  so  well 
there,  that  he  has  left  on  record,  in  a  sportive  letter,  that, 
if  he  should  stay  much  longer  in  Frankfort,  he  should 
certainly  become  a  devoted  gardener.  During  his  cheer- 
ful occupations  there,  he  discovered  one  blossom  so  fair, 
that  he  took  it  to  himself,  to  adorn  the  garden  of  his 
whole  future  life.  He  was  introduced  by  a  friend  to  the 
4 


50  LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN. 

Jeanrenaud  Family,  and  there  made  the  acquaintance 
of  the  youngest  daughter,  Cecilia,  who  afterwards  be- 
came his  wife.  When  the  nuptial  band  united  them, 
there  was  no  one  who  thought  that  it  was  so  soon  to  be 
sundered.  She  was  worthy  of  such  a  husband  ;  and  she 
showed  it  not  only  through  their  whole  married  life,  but 
most  of  all  by  the  heroic  fortitude  with  which  she  bore 
her  loss.* 

On  the  advice  of  his  physician  at  Leipzig,  Mendels- 
sohn took  a  journey  to  Scheveningen,  after  his  duties 
at  Frankfort  were  concluded,  in  order  to  enjoy  a  course 
of  sea-bathing.  There  he  remained  for  some  time ;  and 
with  nerves  much  strengthened,  and  his  general  health 
improved,  he  turned  back,  in  the  autumn  of  the  same 
year  (1836),  to  renew  his  work  at  Leipzig.  On  the 
2d  of  October,  we  see  him  re-instated  in  his  old  place 
as  director  of  the  concerts  at  the  Gewandhaus.  He 
opened  them  with  that  overture  to  "  Leonora  "  which  we 
have  just  seen  was  brought  out  at  the  Dusseldorf  Festi- 
val ;  which  was  soon  repeated  at  an  extra  concert  given 
by  Lipinski,  with  the  finale  from  Cherubini's  "  Water- 
carrier,"  "  O  God !  my  eye  deceives  me  not,"  and  Beetho- 
ven's "A-major  Symphony."  Besides  this,  Mademoiselle 
Grabau  sang  an  aria,  with  chorus,  from  Mercadante ; 
and  David  played  a  new  concertino  of  his  own  composi- 
tion. A  number  of  pieces,  the  chief  of  which  was  the 
*  She  died  in  September,  1853. 


LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN.  51 

"A-major  Symphony,"  were  given  with  great  applause. 
At  the  second  subscription  concert,  at  repeated  request, 
Beethoven's  "  Heroic  Symphony  "  was  given.  It  was,  as 
we  learn  from  an  account  written  at  the  time,  played  in 
the  most  faultless  manner,  in  one  spirit  from  the  first 
note  to  the  last ;  and  this  master-work  of  the  greatest  of 
masters  left  nothing  that  could  be  wished.  It  was  ap- 
plauded at  the  end  of  every  movement,  and  its  delicious 
tones  echoed  in  the  memory  long  after  the  piece  was 
ended.  At  the  third  concert,  a  symphony  in  B  major 
was  brought  out,  one  of  the  genial  Haydn's ;  and  at 
the  fourth  was  played  that  royal  second  overture  to 
"  Leonora"  (with  the  flourish  of  trumpets),  and  so  finely, 
that  not  only  was  the  applause  unusually  hearty  and 
sustained,  but  the  whole  piece  had  to  be  played  from 
first  to  last;  an  honor  not  often  showed  in  that  hall.  In 
these  concerts  there  was  sometimes  given,  as  is  now 
often  the  case,  a  new  symphony,  carefully  studied,  by 
some  living  composer.  At  the  concert  of  which  I  write, 
it  was  the  "  Sinfonia  Appassionata "  (so  successful  in 
Vienna),  by  Franz  Lachner. 

Meanwhile,  there  was  an  admirable  opportunity  in 
Leipzig  to  learn  the  marvellous  power  of  Mendelssohn 
as  a  leader,  and  to  test  at  the  same  time  the  extent  of 
musical  resources  in  that  art-loving  city.  "Israel  in 
Egypt,"  that  master-piece  of  Handel's,  whose  great 
effects  are  in  the  chorus  parts,  was  studied.  Upon  these 


52  LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN. 

choruses  Mendelssohn  began  to  work,  having  rehearsal 
follow  rehearsal  with  great  rapidity ;  and,  as  the  singers 
were  promptness  and  loyalty  itself,  he  soon  wove  the 
most  discordant  elements  into  unity,  and  brought  about 
a  very  perfect  result.  He  did  a  good  service  in  other 
respects ;  for  he  wrote  out  in  full  notes  Handel's  figured 
organ  bass,  which  is  not  read  with  ease  by  organists 
of  our  day.  On  Nov.  7,  1836,  it  was  magnificently 
brought  out  in  St.  Paul's  Church,  with  a  chorus  of  more 
than  two  hundred  and  fifty  voices,  assisted  by  the  organ 
and  a  strong  orchestra.  The  success  of  the  oratorio 
well  repaid  the  patient  care  and  skill  of  preparation. 
The  great  interest  in  the  work  was  manifested  by  the 
immense  audience  which  filled  the  spacious  church. 
Thus  Leipzig  celebrated  its  first  great  Musical  Festival, 
and  with  no  common  splendor. 

Of  the  other  musical  performances  and  concerts  of 
this  winter  when  Mendelssohn  was  the  conductor,  and 
which  were  therefore  directed  with  matchless  skill,  I 
will  refer  to  only  one.  It  was  the  last  concert  of  1836, 
and  took  place  on  the  12th  of  December.  It  was  to 
have  been  on  Thursday ;  but  out  of  love  to  Mendelssohn, 
and  out  of  regard  to  his  yearning  after  Frankfort,  it 
was  given  on  the  preceding  Monday.  After  Mendels- 
sohn had  played,  with  rare  skill,  Beethoven's  "  E-flat 
Major  Concerto  "  for  the  first  part,  and  closed  in  a  storm 
of  applause,  the  second  part  opened  with  his  own  "  A 


LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN.  53 

Calm  at  Sea,  and  a  Happy  Voyage ; "  then  followed 
some  solo  performances,  and  then  the  happily  chosen 
finale  of  "  Fidelio."  The  reader  will  remember  that  the 
great  chorus  of  "  Fidelio  "  has  the  words,  — 

"Whoe'er  a  lovely  bride  has  won, 
Let  him  now  join  our  gladsome  song." 

Mendelssohn,  being  called  to  the  piano  by  the  repeated 
applause  which  followed  this  chorus,  seated  himself,  and 
began  to  extemporize  on  the  theme,  working  it  up  in 
the  most  brilliant  manner.  It  seemed  like  a  great  family 
party,  to  which  he  had  invited  the  guests  to  share  in 
his  own  private  joy.  Every  one  who  had  a  heart  re- 
joiced with  him.  All  knew  what  his  errand  to  Frank- 
fort was. 

It  is  also  worthy  of  remark,  that,  this  same  winter, 
a  friend  of  Mendelssohn,  remarkable  both  for  his  per- 
formances on  the  piano  and  also  for  his  own  composi- 
tions, visited  Germany,  and  awakened  much  enthusiasm 
by  his  brilliant  talents.  William  Sterndale  Bennett 
had  come  from  England  in  order  to  study  musical  com- 
position under  Mendelssohn  for  a  season.  He  displayed 
the  value  of  the  instructions  he  received  in  a  delight- 
ful piano-forte  concerto  in  C  minor,  and  also  in  a  very 
attractive  overture,  written  in  Mendelssohn's  manner, 
but  still  pleasantly  remembered.  Later,  we  heard  from 
the  young  composer  a  second  overture,  "  The  Wood 
Nymph,"  which  was  one  of  the  most  charming  pictures 


54  LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN. 

of  natural  scenery  ever  presented,  and  captivated  all 
hearers.  And,  lastly,  it  may  be  remarked,  that,  at  the 
last  subscription  concert  of  this  season,  Beethoven's 
grand  "  Ninth  Symphony  "  was  given,  even  more  per- 
fectly, if  possible,  than  at  its  first  performance. 

And  now  had  come  the  time  when  the  tried  and 
proved  musical  resources  of  Leipzig  could  be  fitly  put  to 
a  fine  test  of  their  reach  and  compass ;  and  that  was  on 
the  occasion  of  bringing  out  Mendelssohn's  oratorio  of 
"  St.  Paul,"  now  widely  known,  and  in  many  countries. 
The  chorus  began  their  rehearsals  in  February,  1837 ; 
and  every  thing  that  the  director's  skill,  zeal,  and  thor- 
oughness could  accomplish  was  done,  and  all  that  the 
thorough  co-operation  of  the  singers  could  effect  was 
conjoined  with  even  greater  spirit  and  willingness  than  at 
the  representation  of  Handel's  "  Israel  in  Egypt."  The 
noble  choruses  and  chorals,  although  accompanied  mere- 
ly by  a  wretched  piano,  wrought  powerfully  upon  the 
choir,  and,  despite  the  repeated  necessary  rehearsals, 
raised  public  expectation  to  its  height.  Most  impres- 
sive of  all  were  the  choral,  "  Awake  !  the  Voice  calls," 
whose  imposing  effect,  with  the  trombone  accompani- 
ment, could  only  be  conjectured  when  sung  to  the 
piano  ;  the  sublime  chorus,  "  Arise !  the  light  breaks, 
thy  light  comes ; "  and  the  voice  from  heaven,  in  the 
blended  soprano  and  alto,  "  Saul,  Saul,  why  persecutest 
thou  me?"  But  scarcely  less  effective  and  moving 


LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN.  55 

were  all  those  passages  which  bear  the  stamp  of  a 
Christian's  joy,  of  pious  self-renunciation,  and  untrou- 
bled confidence  :  as,  for  example,  that  first  chorus,  which 
rang  out  like  a  psean  of  victory,  "  Lord,  thou  art  God, 
who  hast  made  heaven  and  earth;"  that  choral,  full 
of  inward  humility  and  the  love  of  God,  "  To  thee,  0 
God!  will  I  commit  myself;"  and  those  two  precious, 
sadly  joyous  choruses,  "  Behold,  we  count  them  happy 
that  endure,"  and  "  The  Lord  will  wipe  away  all  tears 
from  their  eyes,  for  he  hath  spoken  it;"  the  first  of 
which,  with  its  swelling  waves  of  sound  and  its  won- 
derful power,  moved  every  heart  to  its  depths.  There 
was  not  in  the  whole  oratorio  a  single  chorus  which 
we  did  not  take  delight  in  singing ;  and  Mendelssohn 
understood,  as  hardly  any  other  director  has  equally 
done,  how  to  make  his  singers  sing  with  their  whole 
souls.  This  appeared  in  the  perfect  execution  of  the 
pianos,  only  breathed  out;  the  crescendos  and  diminuen- 
dos, whose  possibilities,  significance,  and  effect  he  first 
revealed  to  us. 

After  such  thorough  drill,  not  only  in  the  choruses, 
but  in  the  solo  and  the  orchestral  parts,  the  public  per- 
formance of  the  work,. which  took  place  on  the  16th  of 
March,  1837,  could  not  fail  to  be  successful  in  the  high- 
est degree.  It  was  a  disappointment  that  the  bass 
soloist,  who  was  to  take  the  part  of  St.  Paul,  was 
obliged  to  be  absent  in  consequence  of  illness  ;  but  the 


56  LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN. 

gentleman  who  took  his  place  sustained  the  part  well. 
In  the  recitative,  Mademoiselle  Grabau  was  especially 
excellent.  I  do  not  remember  who  the  other  soloists 
were.  The  choir  consisted  of  over  three  hundred  voices, 
with  a  correspondingly  large  orchestra.  I  must  let 
another  speak  for  me  regarding  the  general  effect ;  for  I 
was  one  of  the  performers  on  the  occasion.  The  critic 
of  the  "  Musical  Gazette  "  says,  "  Under  the  skilful  lead- 
ing of  the  composer,  the  great  orchestra  did  its  work 
masterly ;  and  the  choruses,  already  thoroughly  studied 
under  Director  Dr.  Mendelssohn  Bartholdy,  were  given 
in  noble  style,  so  bright,  powerful,  full,  round,  and  shaded 
to  every  nicety  of  expression,  that  I  never  saw  the 
effect  in  so  large  a  choir  equalled.  Whoever  was 
present  at  the  representation  of  that  brilliant  work  will 
be  compelled  to  confess,  that  the  larger  share  of  the 
credit  which  the  choir  gained  for  itself  is  owing  to 
the  matchless  skill  of  the  conductor  and  the  power  of  the 
piece  itself.  With  simple  justice  has  the  management 
of  the  subscription  concerts  offered  its  public  thanks  to 
the  honored  leader,  the  soloists,  the  orchestra,  its 
conductor  David,  and  the  entire  body  of  singers,  for 
their  unwearied  patience  in  preparation,  and  their  bril- 
liant performance  on  the  night  of  representation." 

To  enter  on  a  close  and  critical  analysis  of  a  work 
which  has  made  the  circuit  of  the  civilized  world,  and 
has  everywhere  received  recognition  as  a  great  work  of 


LIFE  OF  MENDELSSOHN.  57 

art,  is  not  in  place  here  :  it  does  not  come  within  my 
domain  as  Mendelssohn's  biographer.  Only  some  ex- 
planatory remarks  are  suitable  here.  From  a  strictly 
sesthetical  point  of  view,  the  "  St.  Paul "  may  have  many 
defects.  Unquestionably,  the  personal  agency  of  Paul 
at  the  martyrdom  of  Stephen  is  kept  somewhat  in  the 
background ;  and  the  second  part  of  the  oratorio  is 
inferior  to  the  first  in  dramatic  interest.  But  the  main 
thought  which  runs  through  the  whole  work  is  too  high 
and  broad  to  be  linked  by  the  tie  of  a  personal  interest 
to  any  single  man :  it  is  the  glorification  of  Christianity, 
with  its  humility,  its  joy  in  living  and  dying  for  the 
Lord,  in  contrast  with  the  blind  self-righteousness  of 
Judaism,  and  the  mere  sensuous  morality  of  the  Heathen 
schools;  it  is  the  contrast,  or  rather  the  struggle,  of 
the  last  two  with  the  former,  and  the  victory  of  the 
light  and  love  of  the  gospel, — the  light  eternal,  the  love 
divine.  This  thought  is  made  incarnate  in  the  persons 
of  Stephen,  Paul,  and  Barnabas ;  and  it  is  concentrated 
at  that  point  which  is  really  the  central  point  of  inter- 
est to  the  oratorio,  —  the  conversion  of  St.  Paul.  Men- 
delssohn has  been  reproached  because  he  represented 
the  voice  of  the  Lord -by  a  choir  of  women's  voices,  or 
angels  perhaps :  it  would  have  been  better,  they  say,  if 
simulated  by  a  powerful  blast  on  the  trombone.  But 
that  very  golden  mean  between  the  sharp  distinctness 
of  a  man's  voice  and  the  inarticulate  sound  of  a  mere 


58  LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN. 

instrument  seems  to  me  a  masterly  conception  of  the 
composer;  for  it  transcends  the  common,  the  expected, 
and  becomes,  to  say  the  least,  unique  ;  if  not  supernatu- 
ral, yet  not  unreasonable.  Nor  does  this  objection  hold 
good  in  point  of  fact ;  for  no  one  who  ever  heard  the 
oratorio  has  failed  to  notice  the  striking  effect  of  those 
female  voices  on  every  hearer  of  susceptibility.  Upon 
whom  has  that  sound  not  broken  like  the  very  voice  of 
the  presence  of  God  ?  And  how  solemnly  deep  becomes 
the  impression  at  the  massive  chorus,  "  Arise !  the  light 
is  breaking ! "  which  cleaves  the  darkness  like  a  thunder- 
bolt from  heaven !  What  an  impressive  warning  to 
change  his  ways  in  the  statuesque  choral  which  follows, 
"  Awake !  the  voice  doth  call ! "  and  what  a  pjean  of  vic- 
tory to  come  in  that  majestic  passage,  the  trombone 
accompanying  every  line,  which  declares  the  glory  of 
the  ancient  Zion,  new  glorified  by  the  light  of  the  later 
dispensation !  How  powerful  the  contrast  in  the  cho- 
ruses of  the  Christian,  the  Jewish,  and  the  Pagan 
faiths !  Compare  only  the  chorus,  "  Behold,  we  count 
them  happy  which  endure,"  and  "  Oh  the  depth  of  the 
riches  of  the  wisdom  and  the  knowledge  of  God ! "  with 
the  chorus  of  Jews,  "  This  man  ceases  not  to  utter  blas- 
phemy ; "  and,  "  Here  is  the  Lord's  temple  !  —  ye  men 
of  Israel,  help ; "  and  these  again  with  the  choruses, 
"  The  gods  have  come  to  us  in  the  likeness  of  men ; "  and, 
"  Be  gracious  to  us,  ye  gods,"  —  and  you  will  not  fail  to 


LIFE  OF  MENDELSSOHN.  59 

see  how  sharply  delineated  and  discriminated  are  these 
three  faiths.  A  peculiar,  and  at  the  same  time  a  beau- 
tiful feature  of  the  oratorio  is  given  by  the  chorals, 
which  are  always  so  suitably  introduced  to  add  solem- 
nity, and  yet  a  kindly  grace,  to  the  work.  They  give  a 
truly  Christian  character  to  the  whole ;  yet  the  effect 
of  those  perfect  pieces  of  harmony  is  subduing  and 
soothing.  Doubtless  there  are  many  to  whom  church 
music  is  a  novelty,  so  to  speak,  who  hear  these  chorals, 
and  wonder  that  strains  so  sweet  and  elevating  are 
sung  all  around  them,  and  have  remained  unknown  to 
them.  It  may  be  that  this  musical  effect  is  largely 
to  be  ascribed  to  the  great  Bach  ;  but  does  the  compo- 
ser who  a  hundred  years  later  restores  the  Christian 
choral,  with  its  depth  of  feeling  and  tender  spirituality, 
with  the  attractions  of  modern  art,  deserve  less  praise  ? 
Lastly,  it  is  impossible  to  overrate  the  skill  with 
which  the  great  author  has  united  words,  taken  only 
from  the  Bible,  into  a  round  and  full  historical  painting, 
and  has  thus  solved  one  of  the  greatest  practical  diffi- 
culties. And  although,  in  my  opinion,  the  chief  attrac- 
tions of  this  oratorio  lie  in  the  choruses  and  chorals, 
yet  there  is  no  lack  of  merit  in  the  solos.  The  recita- 
tives are  beautifully  distinct ;  and  the  two  arias  of  Paul, 
the  passage,  "  Destroy  them,  Lord  God  of  Sabaoth," 
and  the  penitential  strain,  "  God  be  gracious  to  me  ac- 
cording to  thy  loving-kindness,"  could  not  more  finely 


60  LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN. 

combine  dramatic  effect  with  strict  adherence  to  the 
church  style.  Again,  in  the  soprano  aria,  "  Jerusalem, 
thou  that  killest  the  prophets ; "  in  the  arioso  for  the  alto, 
"  Yet  the  Lord  is  mindful  of  his  own ; "  in  the  aria  of 
Paul, "  I  thank  thee,  O  Lord ! "  —  no  one  will  fail  to  see 
the  union  of  the  truest  Christian  feeling  with  the  most 
artistic  musical  form.  The  whole  oratorio  is,  in  one  word, 
edifying,  and  that  in  the  deepest  sense :  it  strengthens,  it 
exalts,  it  ennobles  the  spirit  by  its  happy  combination 
of  religious  sentiment  with  noble  harmony.  Where  the 
eternally  true  and  the  eternally  beautiful  lock  hands 
together,  there  is  the  highest  consummation  of  all  possi- 
ble excellences  that  art  can  furnish,  and  there  must  be 
the  happiest  results. 


LIFE  OF  MENDELSSOHN.  61 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Mendelssohn's  Marriage.  —  New  Works.  —  He  directs  the  "  St.  Paul "  at  Bir- 
mingham, England  —  Leipzig  Concerts.  —  Clara  Novello.  —  A  brilliant 
Winter.  —  Composition  of  the  Forty -second  Psalm .  —  Analysis  of  the  Music. 
—  New  Music.— The  Historical  Concerts  instituted  by  him. —He  directs 
the  Cologne  Festival.  —Repetition  of  "  St.  Paul  "  at  Leipzig. 

A  DORNED  with  the  fresh  laurel-wreath  which  the 
•*-  •*-  production  of  "  St.  Paul "  in  Leipzig  had  won  for 
him,  and  not  figuratively  merely,  but  literally,  —  for  a 
laurel  wreath  was  laid  upon  his  music-stand  by  admiring 
friends,  —  Mendelssohn  hurried  to  Frankfort  to  blend 
the  laurel  of  fame  with  the  myrtle  of  love.  In  the 
spring  of  1837,  his  union  with  Cecilia  Jeanrenaud, 
the  second  daughter  of  a  deceased  clergyman  of  Dres- 
den, was  solemnly  celebrated.  "  Ah  !  those  were  pleas- 
ant days."  In  August  of  the  same  year,  in  company 
with  his  bride,  whose  beauty  and  amiability  made  a  uni- 
versally favorable  impression,  he  visited  his  old  friends 
in  Diisseldorf,  with  whom,  with  the  exception  of  Immer- 
mann,  he  remained  on. terms  of  the  greatest  cordiality. 
He  was  very  fond  of  Diisseldorf.  He  himself  confessed 
that  his  visits  to  that  place  were  among  the  happiest 
events  of  his  life.  He  was  always  on  the  move,  was  in 
the  brightest  spirits,  and  gratified  all  wishes  to  hear  him 


62  LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN. 

play,  weary  as  it  might  make  him.  Here,  to  please 
and  honor  him,  "  St.  Paul "  was  brought  out  under  the 
direction  of  his  pupil  and  friend,  Rietz.  He  himself 
could  show  to  his  friends,  as  the  fruit  of  his  recent  activ- 
ity, the  forty-second  Psalm  (Op.  42),  a  new  piano  con- 
certo with  orchestral  accompaniment  in  D  minor  (Op. 
40),  and  the  violin  quartet  in  E  minor  (Op.  44,  No.  2), 
all  ill  manuscript.  The  bright  days  after  his  marriage 
had  not  interfered  with  his  productive  power,  nor  dimin- 
ished the  affluent  gifts  of  his  genius.  From  Dusseldorf 
he  sent  to  Simrock  at  Bonn,  all  ready  for  the  press, 
the  three  motets  for  women's  voices,  partly  composed 
at  Rome.  From  Dusseldorf  he  went,  without  his  wife, 
over  to  England,  where  he  was  expected  to  direct  the 
bringing-out  of  "  St.  Paul  "  at  the  great  Musical  Festival 
at  Birmingham  from  the  19th  to  the  22d  of  Septem- 
ber. The  oratorio  was  given  the  second  day,  in  the 
presence  of  an  immense  concourse  of  hearers,  but  with 
some  omissions  in  the  second  part.  The  work  was  re- 
ceived with  the  greatest  favor :  the  choruses  were  sung 
with  unrivalled  power,  though  not  always  carefully 
enough.  Mendelssohn's  appearance  in  the  orchestra, 
towards  the  end  of  the  piece",  was  greeted  with  a  storm 
of  applause.  In  September  of  the  same  year,  "  St. 
Paul"  was  produced  for  the  first  time  at  Berlin. 

On  his  return  from   England,  we  see  Mendelssohn 
take  his  wonted  place  as  director  of  the  concerts  given 


LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN.  63 

in  the  Gewandhaus,  and  received,  at  his  first  appear- 
ance in  public,  with  a  very  kindly  greeting.  The 
Jubilee  overture  by  Weber,  a  chorus  by  Haydn,  Beet- 
hoven's C- minor  symphony,  the  song  from  "The 
Freischiitz,"  "Wie  nahte  mir  der  Schlummer,"  sung 
by  Louise  Schlegel  (a  very  gifted  pupil  of  Director 
Pohlenz),  and  a  new  concerto  composed  and  played  by 
David,  opened  the  series  of  winter  entertainments  in 
a  most  excellent  and  attractive  manner.  It  would 
weary  the  reader  were  I  to  enter  into  a  full  specification 
of  the  performances  of  that  winter,  any  further  than  as 
they  were  connected  with  Mendelssohn  himself.  One 
excellent  fruit  of  his  visit  to  England,  so  far  as  Ger- 
many is  concerned,  was  the  visit  of  an  extremely 
talented,  cultivated,  and  prepossessing  artiste,  —  Miss 
Clara  Novello  ;  who,  however,  sang  but  seven  times  in 
Leipzig,  but  left  us  filled  with  regret  at  her  too-speedy 
departure.  She  was  the  daughter  of  a  music-publisher 
in  London,  for  whom,  as  early  as  1832,  Mendelssohn 
had  composed  a  "  Morning  Service."  Her  bell-like,  silver 
voice,  her  perfect  training,  and  her  charming  appear- 
ance, won  all  hearts.  The  concerts  were  more  crowded 
than  ever.  She  made  her  §rst  appearance  at  the  fifth 
subscription  concert,  in  the  arias,  "  Ecco  il  punto,  O 
Vitellia ! "  from  "  Titus,"  and  "  Casta  Diva"  from  « Nor- 
ma ;  "  and,  at  her  last  appearance,  she  sang  Beethoven's 
great  scena,  "  Abscheulicher !  wo  eilst  du  bin  ?  "  At 


64  LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN. 

the  third  subscription  concert,  Mendelssohn  played  his 
new  piano-concerto  in  D  minor  ("Allegro  appassionato, 
Adagio,  and  Scherzo  giojoso,"  as  he  then  called  the  clos- 
ing passage),  and,  of  course,  won  the  most  enthusiastic 
applause.  At  the  second  quartet  entertainment,  Men- 
delssohn produced  a  new  quartet,  —  the  one  in  E  minor 
(Op.  44)  which  he  had  taken  to  Diisseldorf ;  and  the 
second  and  last  movements  were  received  with  special 
favor.  The  second  was  encored.  At  the  concert  in 
behalf  of  poor  and  sick  musicians,  the  overture  to  the 
"  Midsummer  Night's  Dream  "  was  given,  and  Mendels- 
sohn himself  played  his  "  Capriccio  brillant "  in  B  minor 
(Op.  22).  During  all  this  varied  round  of  activities, 
he  yet  found  time  to  bring  together  the  musical  resources 
of  Leipzig  for  the  purpose  of  producing  one  of  the  great 
master-pieces  of  the  past.  After  repeated  rehearsals, 
Handel's  "  Messiah "  was  given  at  St.  Paul's  Church. 
The  number  of  singers  in  the  choruses  was  equal  to 
that  on  former  similar  occasions.  The  solos  were 
sustained  by  artists  of  the  highest  excellence.  This 
master-piece  was  rendered  according  to  Mozart's  ar- 
rangement ;  and  in  several  passages  rather  choral-like, 
and  at  the  close  of  certain  choruses,  the  effect  was 
heightened  by  the  full  organ  accompaniment.  The  per- 
formance of  the  choir,  soloists,  and  orchestra,  was  one 
of  the  finest  ever  witnessed;  and  the  impression  left 
by  the  whole  work  was  wholly  satisfactory. 


LIFE  OF  MENDELSSOHN.  65 

The  year  1838  brought  to  light  another  product  of 
Mendelssohn's  Muse.  The  music  of  the  forty-second 
Psalm,  which  he  had  shown  to  his  Diisseldorf  friends, 
was  sung  for  the  first  time  in  public  at  the  tenth  sub- 
scription concert,  and  displayed  at  once  the  character 
of  a  wholly  unique  and  artistic  work.  Never  has  the 
soul's  inmost  yearning  after  God  been  spoken  out  in 
tones  more  searching  and  tender.  After  the  chorus 
has  uttered  this  passionate  longing  in  those  noble  words, 
so  grandly  set  to  music  in  this  piece,  "  As  the  hart 
pants  after  the  water-brooks,  so  panteth  my  soul  for 
thee,  O  God ! "  a  delicate  soprano  solo,  "  For  my  soul 
thirsteth,"  takes  up  a  slow  strain  full  of  the  inmost  ten- 
derness of  longing.  Then  follows  a  chorus  of  women's 
voices,  justifying,  as  it  were,  her  who  has  just  sung,  and 
giving  more  express  utterance  to  what  all  feel  in  the 
words, "  For  I  had  gone  with  the  multitude  ;  I  went  with 
them  to  the  house  of  God,"  —  a  passage  which,  by  its 
march-movement,  suggests  a  light-hearted  walk  to  the 
temple  of  God.  Then  comes  a  chorus  of  men's  voices, 
uttering  words  both  of  admonition  and  consolation : 
"  Why  art  thou  cast  down,  O  my  soul  ?  hope  thou  in 
God."  But  that  first  plaintive  woman's  cry,  justifying 
its  very  wail  by  its  eager  desire  to  enjoy  the  presence 
of  God,  is  heard  in  yet  sharper  and  distincter  tones : 
"  O  my  God !  my  soul  is  cast  down  within  me :  all  thy 
waves  and  thy  billows  are  gone  over  me."  Then  strikes 
5 


66  LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN. 

in,  accompanied  by  stringed  instruments,  a  noble  quar- 
tet of  men's  voices,  full  of  consolation  and  truthful 
faith :  "  Yet  the  Lord  will  command  his  loving-kindness 
in  the  day-time ;  and  in  the  night  his  song  shall  be  with 
me,  and  my  prayer  unto  the  God  of  my  life."  Yet 
with  their  voices  still  mingles  that  plaintive  soprano 
strain,  almost  wailing,  in  its  extreme  sadness ;  till,  at 
the  end,  the  whole  choir  of  men  and  women  take  up  the 
opening  passage  again  with  the  full  confidence  of 
belief  and  hope  in  God,  and  close  with  an  ascription 
of  praise  to  the  Lord  God  of  Israel.  The  whole  makes 
a  brief  but  complete  religious  tone-drama,  as  it  may  be 
called.  Yet  those  who  have  not  heard  Mendelssohn's 
music  of  the  forty-second  Psalm  cannot  imagine  how 
beautiful  it  is  from  this  imperfect  sketch :  it  is  rather 
for  those  who  may  by  its  help  call  back  in  memory 
pleasures  which  they  have  enjoyed  before  in  listening 
to  its  wondrous  harmony.  And  these  will  confess  that 
not  easily  can  a  smoother  and  more  pleasing  move- 
ment, musical  expression  better  adapted  to  words,  and 
nobler  melodies,  be  found,  than  are  combined  in  this 
composition.  The  first  performance,  particularly  the 
choruses  and  the  soprano  part,  sustained  by  Miss  No- 
vello,  was  admirable. 

Later  in  the  course  of  these  concerts,  some  interesting 
new  symphonies  were  given,  and  another  less  generally 
attractive  Psalm  of  Mendelssohn,  written  earlier,  —  the 


LIFE  OF  MENDELSSOHN.  67 

hundred  and  fifteenth.*  Mendelssohn's  next  great  step 
was  to  propose  a  series  of  concerts,  indicating  the  histori- 
cal development  of  music.  On  the  loth  of  February,  they 
were  opened  with  a  selection  from  the  works  of  Sebastian 
Bach,  Handel,  Gluck,  and  Viotti.  After  a  suite  by  Bach, 
followed  Handel's  hymn,  "  Great  is  the  Lord ; "  then  a 
sonata  in  E  major  (No.  3)  for  piano-forte  and  violin, 
played  by  Mendelssohn  and  David.  The  second  part  was 
made  up  of  the  overture,  introduction,  and  first  scene 
of  the  "  Iphigenia  in  Tauris,"  by  Gluck ;  followed  by  a 
concerto  for  the  violin,  from  Viotti,  played  exceed- 
ingly well  by  David.  The  second  of  these  concerts  was 
from  the  works  of  Haydn,  Cimarosa,  Naumann,  and 
Rrghini.  The  programme  of  this  concert  is  too  inter- 
esting to  be  wholly  excluded  from  these  pages :  over- 
ture to  "  Tigranes,"  and  aria  from  "  Armida,"  by  Righini ; 
overture  to  Cimarosa's  "  Matrimonio  Segreto  ; "  trio  by 
Haydn  for  piano,  violin,  and  violoncello  (C  major),  played 
by  Mendelssohn,  David,  and  Grenser ;  introduction,  reci- 
tative, and  closing  scena  of  the  first  part  of  Haydn's 
"  Creation."  The  second  part  was  composed  of  a  quintet 
and  chorus  from  "  I  Pellegrini "  by  Naumann,  and  the 
"  Parting "  symphony  by  Haydn.  The  third  of  these 
concerts  was  made  up  of  selections  from  Mozart,  Salieri, 

*  In  the  concert  for  the  poor,  given  Feb.  21,  1838,  the  ninety-fifth 
Psalm,  with  Mendelssohn's  music,  was  given  for  the  first  time;  an 
excellent  piece,  sung  with  full  chorus. 


68  LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN. 

Mehul,  and  Andreas  Romberg ;  among  other  things,  a 
hitherto  wholly  unknown  quartet  from  Mozart's  "  Zaida," 
and  an  ensemble  from  Mehul's  "  Uthal,"  an  opera,  which 
the  author  had  composed,  at  Napoleon's  command,  from 
a  subject  in  "  Ossian,"  and  entirely  without  violins.  The 
shining  feature  of  this  concert  was  a  piano-forte  concerto 
by  Mozart  in  C  minor,  played  by  Mendelssohn.  The 
overture  to  the  "  Magic  Flute"  was  also  exceedingly  well 
given.  The  programme  of  the  fourth  of  these  concerts 
was  selected  from  Vogler,  Beethoven,  and  Von  Weber. 
The  overture  to  Vogler's  "  Samori,"  overture  to  Weber's 
"  Freischiitz,"  and  the  hunters'  chorus  from  "  Euryanthe," 
Beethoven's  great  "  Violin  Concerto  "  and  the  "  Pastoral 
Symphony,"  were  the  most  striking  features  of  this  even- 
ing's entertainment,  which  brought  this  course  of  his- 
torical concerts  to  a  worthy  close.  That  they  not  only 
awakened  in  the  public  an  interest  in  the  history  of 
music,  but  also  largely  promoted  a  genuine  musical  taste 
among  the  Leipzig  people,  needs  hardly  be  said. 

Thus,  through  Mendelssohn's  efforts  mainly,  the  win- 
ter was  passed  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  richest  treasures 
which  music  could  afford  the  people  of  that  art-loving 
city  which  was  his  home.  During  the  next  summer,  he 
enjoyed  no  rest.  He  went  again  to  the  Rhine,  —  this 
time  to  assume  the  direction  of  the  Cologne  Musical 
Festival.  The  "Joshua"  of  Handel  was  selected  as 
the  chief  piece ;  and  for  this,  as  he  had  done  for  the 


LIFE  OF  MENDELSSOHN.  69 

"  Solomon  "  before,  he  resorted  to  the  organ  as  a  leading 
auxiliary.  The  whole  festival  was  most  brilliant.  The. 
separation  from  his  wife  seemed  to  be  a  great  trial  to 
Mendelssohn.  He  was  somewhat  sad ;  but  yet,  on  the 
third  day,  he  played  his  "  Serenade  and  Allegro  gio- 
joso."  His  true  friend  and  fellow-artist,  David,  accom- 
panied him  to  the  Rhine. 

No  sooner  had  he  returned  to  Leipzig,  than  the 
liveliest  wish  was  expressed  on  all  sides  that  the  "  St. 
Paul "  should  be  repeated.  Mendelssohn  showed  a  will- 
ingness to  comply  witli  the  general  desire,  and  conducted 
the  rehearsals  with  his  accustomed  care.  But,  when  the 
day  of  the  public  performance  arrived,  —  the  loth  of 
September,  1838,  —  Mendelssohn  himself  was  unable  to 
be  present ;  being  attacked  by  the  measles.  David  was 
compelled  to  take  his  place ;  and  he  conducted  so  much 
in  the  spirit  of  the  great  author  of  the  work,  that  the 
effect  was  even  deeper  on  some  hearers  than  it  had  been 
the  first  time.  It  is  to  be  mentioned,  that  after  the 
choral,  No.  9,  "  To  thee,  O  Lord  !  do  I  commit  myself,"  a 
new  alto  aria  had  been  introduced,  —  "  Thou  who  bring- 
2st  us  to  destruction,  and  sayest,  Return,  ye  children  of 
men."  The  leading  soprano  solos  this  time  were  sus- 
tained by  a  very  lovely  singer,  who,  though  now  occupy- 
ing a  high  position  in  distinguished  society,  still  continued 
to  dedicate  her  remarkable  gifts  to  the  art  of  music,  es- 
pecially to  the  Muse  of  Mendelssohn  ;  and  who  remain? 


70  LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN. 

his  best  interpreter  to  this  day.  After  this  representa- 
tion of ''Paulus,"  a  number  took  place  in  Leipzig,  the  last 
of  which  was  directed  by  the  author,  and  occurred  on 
Good  Friday,  1847.  No  other  great  musical  work  has 
ever  gained  such  speedy  recognition  as  the  "  St.  Paul." 
In  the  history  of  music,  the  years  1837  and  1838  might 
be  called  the  "  St.  Paul "  years.  A  computation  has  been 
attempted  of  the  number  of  places  where  this  oratorio 
was  sung  within  a  year  and  a  half,  and  the  number  of 
times  it  was  sung ;  and  it  was  found  to  be  not  less  than 
fifty  times  in  forty-one  different  cities.  In  Germany, 
in  Poland,  in  Russia,  in  the  Tyrol  and  Switzerland,  in 
Denmark,  in  Holland,  in  England,  in  America,  every- 
where, "  St.  Paul "  was  given,  and  in  some  places  two 
or  three  times. 


LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN.  71 


CHAPTER   VII. 

The  Leipzig  Concerts.— Mrs.  Alfred  Shaw. —A  memorable  Musical  Winter. 
—  Mendelssohn  conducts  the  Spring  Festival  at  Dasseldorf.  —  The  next 
Winter's  Concerts.  —  The  Hundred  and  Fourteenth  Psalm :  its  Musical 
Effects.  — New  Instrumental  Music. 

rilHE  time  for  the  author  of  a  piece  held  in  such  esti- 
-^  mation  to  be  taken  away  had  not  yet  come.  Prov- 
idence watched  over  him :  he  soon  recovered  from  his 
sickness.  The  direction  of  the  first  subscription  concert 
was  left  to  his  friend  David ;  but  at  the  second  we  find 
Mendelssohn  in  his  old  place,  more  a  favorite  than  ever, 
and  received  with  the  greatest  joy.  He  opened  this 
concert  with  his  overture  to  "  Fingal's  Cave."  In  the 
third  concert,  after  the  enthusiastically  received  and 
encored  overture  to  the  "  Freischiitz,"  an  English  singer 
appeared,  for  whose  advent  in  Leipzig  we  were  indebted 
to  Mendelssohn,  —  Mrs.  Alfred  Shaw,  a  lady  of  imposing 
figure,  endowed  with  a  remarkably  clear  and  full  voice. 
The  noble  simplicity  of  her  style,  and  her  thorough  con- 
ception of  the  subject,  particularly  in  songs  of  deep  feel- 
ing, made  her  appearance  before  a  Leipzig  audience  very 
acceptable.  She  sang  first  a  recitative  and  an  aria  by 
Rossini,  "  Amici,  in  ogni  evento  m'affido  a  voi,"  and  the 


72  LIFE  OF  MENDELSSOHN. 

"  Addio  "  of  Mozart.  Her  stay  till  the  28th  of  January 
gave  us  a  continual  round  of  enjoyments.  In  the  most 
tender  and  touching  manner  she  sang  the  aria  from 
Handel's  "  Messiah,"  "  He  was  despised  and  rejected  of 
men ; "  and  indeed  her  selection  of  subjects  was  always 
the  happiest  possible.  But  this  circumstance  arose 
primarily  from  the  admirable  works  chosen  by  Mendels- 
sohn as  the  basis  for  the  concerts.  The  reader  who 
goes  over  the  programme  of  that  winter's  entertainments 
is  astonished  at  the  wealth  of  classic  pieces,  and  their 
tasteful  collocation  in  relation  to  each  other.  Handel, 
Gluck,  Haydn,  Beethoven,  Mozart,  Cherubini,  Weber, 
Spohr,  Rossini,  alternate  in  the  list,  yet  not  to  the 
exclusion  of  the  later  and  the  latest  masters  in  music. 
For  example,  new  symphonies  by  Kalliwoda,  Lachner, 
Mohring,  and  Dobrycinski  were  given,  and  the  newly 
discovered  symphony  by  Franz  Schubert  (C  major), 
which  took  the  palm  from  all  the  rest.  As  an  example 
of  a  genuine  classic  programme,  which  yet  did  not  lack 
the  charm  of  the  greatest  variety,  take  this  one :  over- 
ture to  "Iphigenia,"  by  Gluck;  chorus,  "The  dust's 
vain  cares,"  by  Haydn ;  "  O  salutaris  hostia ! "  by  Che- 
rubini, sung  by  Mrs.  Shaw  ;  valuations  for  the  violin,  by 
Lipinski,  played  by  Ulrich  ;  cavatina  from  "  Romeo  and 
Juliet,"  by  Zingarelli,  sung  by  Mrs.  Shaw ;  symphony  in 
A  major,  by  Beethoven.  Although  the  power  of  select- 
ing lay  in  the  management,  yet  it  was  really  Mendels- 


LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN.  73 

sohn's  judgment  that  controlled  the  decision.  As  a 
special  advantage  of  these  concerts,  may  be  mentioned 
this,  —  that  a  great  number  of  fine  pieces,  from  operas 
which  were  unfortunately  almost  neglected  on  the  stage, 
were  thus  brought  into  notice ;  for  instance,  the  delight- 
ful sextet  from  "  Cosi  fan  Tutte,"  the  trio  with  chorus 
from  "Medea,"  the  Polonaise,  trio,  and  chorus  from 
Cherubini's  "  Lodoiska."  Sometimes  they  were  taken 
from  well-known,  excellent  operas ;  for  instance,  the 
first  finale  from  "  Euryanthe,"  the  trio  and  quartet  from 
"  Oberon,"  the  aria  and  first  finale  from  the  same,  and 
the  second  finale  from  "Leonora." 

From  Mendelssohn  there  were  given  this  winter  the 
overtures,  "  Fingal's  Cave,"  and  "  A  Calm  at  Sea  and 
Happy  Voyage ; "  the  overture  to  "  St.  Paul,"  with  the 
recitative  and  aria  from  the  same  oratorio,  "And  he 
drew  with  the  throng  towards  Damascus  "  (given  at  the 
New- Year's  concert,  together  with  Beethoven's  C-minor 
Symphony)  ;  an  overture  to  "  Ruy  Bias ; "  and  the  Forty- 
second  Psalm,  —  the  last  two  at  the  twentieth  subscrip- 
tion concert,  when  Schubert's  symphony  in  C  major,  and 
the  "Spring"  from  Haydn's  "Seasons,"  were  brought 
out  for  the  first  time. 

In  the  spring  of  1839,  Mendelssohn^  in  conjunction 
with  Julius  Rietz,  conducted  the  Diisseldorf  Festival.  A 
combination  of  distinguished  singers,  such  as  Fassmann, 
Clara  Novello,  &c.,  made  this  festival  one  of  the  most 


74  LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN. 

brilliant  ever  known.  Handel's  "  Messiah,"  and  Beet- 
hoven's Mass  in  C,  were  given  as  the  chief  pieces. 
Here  Mendelssohn  first  became  acquainted  with  Sophia 
Schloss,  who  so  finely  sustained  the  alto  solos  in  the 
"Messiah"  and  the  Mass  of  Beethoven,  that  he  en- 
gaged her  for  the  next  winter  at  Leipzig.  Of  Mendels- 
sohn's own  works,  the  Forty -second  Psalm  was  given. 
On  the  third  day  of  the  festival,  he  played  his  D-minor 
Concerto,  and  accompanied  many  songs  on  the  piano- 
forte. 

In  the  winter  of  1839  and  1840,  he  again  directed 
the  Leipzig  concerts,  with  the  same  care  and  the  same 
success  which  had  been  so  marked  in  the  previous 
winter.  Besides  Sophia  Schloss,  Eliza  Meerti  was  en- 
gaged, a  Belgian  lady,  who  united  a  solid  style  and  an 
agreeable  voice  with  French  ease  and  elegance.  A 
number  of  new  gifts  from  Mendelssohn's  Muse  delighted 
us  that  winter,  besides  the  treasures  of  past  time.  The 
concert  in  celebration  of  the  great  Reformation,  given 
on  Wednesday,  the  30th  of  October,  1839,  was  opened 
with  a  new  adaptation  to  music,  by  Mendelssohn,  of 
Luther's  hymn,  "  In  mercy  grant  us  peace,  0  Lord ! " 
The  purest  and  deepest  spirituality  which  can  accom- 
pany prayer  is  the  character  of  this  noble  piece,  as 
Mendelssohn  gave  it  to  the  world.  Had  this  music,  as 
well  as  that  written  to  Luther's  noble  hymn,  "  In  the 
midst  of  life,"  appeared  in  Rome,  we  should  have  seen 


LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN.  75 

in  it,  not  a  simple  fortuitous  circumstance,  but  the  1'ise 
of  a  true  Protestant  spirit  (not  indeed  in  the  ordinary 
use  of  language),  —  a  spirit  of  protest  against  the  mere 
sensuous  coloring  which  the  Catholic  Church  gives  to 
all  its  ideas,  as  well  as  to  its  worship.  But,  whether  on 
purpose  or  accidentally,  the  authorship  of  the  piece  was 
not  avowed  at  the  concert.  If  the  taste  of  the  musical 
public  were  to  be  put  to  the  test,  it  might  be  said  that  it 
has  not  yet  showed  that  it  was  always  united  on  any 
point,  —  not  thoroughly  at  one,  so  to  speak,  —  as  to  any 
piece  ;  and  this  production  of  Mendelssohn's  was  quietly, 
not  to  say  coolly,  received.  Perhaps  it  was  in  conse- 
quence of  the  deeply  religious  character  of  the  piece ; 
this  kind  of  music  does  not  usually  win  much  out- 
ward demonstration  from  a  Leipzig  audience;  but  so 
much  is  certain,  —  the  authorship  of  the  piece  was  then 
unknown,  except  to  the  initiated  few. 

It  ought  not  to  be  passed  by  without  mention,  that  on 
the  25th  of  December,  in  the  same  year,  "  St.  Paul " 
was  brought  out  in  Munich  for  the  first  time.  It  made 
the  same  deep  impression  as  everywhere. 

The  year  1840,  one  of  the  most  fruitful  in  its  addi- 
tions to  Mendelssohn's  "well-merited  and  always  ascend- 
ing fame,  gave  us  as  the  first-fruits  of  his  genius  a  new 
and  great  production.  It  was  the  Hundred  and  four- 
teenth Psalm,  "  When  Israel  out  of  Egypt  came,"  which 
he  composed  for  full  chorus  and  orchestra.  It  was  given 


76  LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN. 

for  the  first  time  at  the  New -Year's  concert;  and 
although  in  character  and  treatment  wholly  different 
from  the  Forty-second  Psalm,  yet,  in  its  way,  it  is 
almost  as  great.  The  selection  of  this  Psalm,  one  of 
the  finest,  if  not  the  very  finest,  of  Old-Testament  lyrics, 
was  a  very  happy  conception  of  the  composer ;  and  how 
skilfully  has  he  brought  out  in  music  the  praise  and  the 
majesty  of  God!  In  one  great  flood  of  inspiration, 
peaceful,  and  yet  overpowering,  the  double  chorus 
strikes  in,  "  What  ailed  thee,  O  thou  sea !  that  thou 
fleddest  ?  —  thou  Jordan,  that  thou  wast  driven  back  ?  " 
With  the  greatest  sublimity  the  answer  comes  back, 
"  Tremble,  thou  earth,  at  the  presence  of  the  Lord ; "  and 
the  whole  widens  at  the  close  into  the  grand  fugue, 
"  Hallelujah !  sing  to  the  Lord,"  which  seems  like  the 
very  ocean  of  eternity.  Let  the  reader  imagine  to  him- 
self one  of  those  psalms  of  the  temple,  in  which  the 
choir,  accompanied  by  the  trombones  of  the  Levites, 
announced  the  glory  of  the  Lord  from  the  holy  place, 
accompanied  by  all  the  helps  of  contemporaneous  art, 
and  in  the  most  spiritual  (i.e.,  the  least  sensuous)  form, 
and  he  has  a  conception  of  the  effect  of  this  masterpiece, 
in  which  the  musical  expression  is  perfectly  adapted  to 
every  word ;  and  yet  the  whole  stream  of  sound  flows 
in  a  single  channel. 

In  an  entirely  different  domain  of  his  art  was  the 
third  great  work  which  the  unwearied  genius  of  Men- 


LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN.  77 

debsohn  gave  us  that  winter.  It  was  the  charming  trio 
in  D  minor  for  piano-forte,  violin,  and  violoncello  (Op. 
49),  first  played  in  public  by  himself,  David,  and  Witt- 
mann,  the  1st  of  February  of  that  year.  This  piece 
expressed  in  its  first  strain  that  ardent  feeling,  that 
almost  passionate  power,  which  was  more  especially  the 
mark  of  Mendelssohn's  genius  than  of  any  modern  artist. 
The  andante  con  moto  tranquillo,  which  follows,  is 
filled  with  that  equally  inimitable  longing  and  sub- 
dued and  plaintive  joy.  The  scherzo  plays  with  the 
charm  of  infantile  grace  ;  while  the  finale,  in  its  allegro 
assai  appassionato,  satisfies  and  charms  the  ear  with  its 
strong  tones  and  balanced  rhythm.  The  whole  work  is 
a  true  mirror  of  Mendelssohn  in  his  most  spiritual- 
minded  and  deepest  mood,  a  product  of  one  of  the  happi- 
est hours  of  his  genius,  uttering  itself  in  perfect  frank- 
ness and  the  most  artistic  form.  It  was  received,  of 
course,  with  the  greatest  applause. 

It  would  be  easy  to  recall  and  to  speak  with  enthu- 
siasm of  many  other  musical  enjoyments  of  that  winter, 
which  we  owe  to  Mendelssohn.  But  I  will,  out  of 
regard  to  the  reader,  confine  myself  to  the  most  impor- 
tant ;  and  simply  record,  that,  on  the  9th  of  January, 
all  the  four  overtures  to  Beethoven's  "  Fidelio "  were 
given  under  Mendelssohn's  direction.  It  was  a  matter 
of  interest  to  every  friend  of  art  to  follow  this  grea> 
est  of  all  masters  into  the  secret  chambers  of  his  genius, 


78  LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN. 

and  to  see,  as  perhaps  he  had  never  before  done,  the 
greatness  of  the  work,  the  majesty  of  the  conception ; 
and  in  no  better  way  could  he  do  this  than  under  the 
guidance  of  an  artist  of  kindred  genius,  and  of  equal 
ambition.  And  it  was  a  proof  of  the  thorough  training 
of  our  Leipzig  musical  public,  that  these  four  overtures 
were  not  received  with  simple  satisfaction,  but  were 
thoroughly  enjoyed. 

Of  the  first  appearance  of  Liszt  in  Leipzig,  which 
occurred  in  January  of  this  year,  and  in  which  Mendels- 
sohn had  an  honorable  part  in  introducing  him  to  favor- 
able notice,  I  shall  speak  more  fully  in  another  place. 
Let  me  only  remark  here,  that  during  that  same  month, 
Fetis,  at  the  first  concert  of  the  Conservatoire  in 
Brussels,  brought  out,  in  conjunction  with  Beethoven's 
"Heroic  Symphony"  and  the  overture  to  Cherubini's 
"  Anacreon,"  the  overture  to  the  "  Midsummer  Night's 
Dream,"  which  wrought  an  immediate  and  powerful 
impression  on  the  audience. 


LIFE   OF  MENDELSSOHN.  79 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  "Hymn  of  Praise."  —  Its  Occasion,  History,  first  Performance,  Musical 
Character,  and  remarkable  Success. 

~V\7"E  now  arrive  at  a  point  in  the  career  of  Men- 
delssohn which  was  signalized  by  the  production, 
and  public  performance  under  his  own  direction,  of 
what  must  be  considered,  if  not  his  greatest  work,  at 
least  his  most  genial  one,  and  the  one  which  indicated 
the  meridian  splendor  of  his  career.  The  occasion  which 
called  it  forth  was  the  fourth  centennial  celebration 
of  the  invention  of  printing,  which,  though  observed 
with  great  demonstrations  of  respect  throughout  all  the 
larger  cities  of  Germany,  was  especially  honored  in 
Leipzig,  —  the  place  which  had  been  built  up  by  the  new 
art,  as  it  were ;  at  any  rate,  whose  reputation  as  the 
birthplace  of  books  was  identified  with  the  history  of 
printing.  It  was  a  theme  of  general  rejoicing,  that  the 
care  of  the  musical  part  was  given  into  Mendelssohn's 
hands  ;  and  no  one  could  fail  to  see  that  he  entered  upon 
the  execution  of  this  trust  with  eager  hope.  The  first 
task  was  to  procure  a  hymn  which  should  be  the  text, 
as  it  were,  for  Mendelssohn's  music,  to  be  sung  at  the 


